


The Prat and the Idiot, the King and the Warlock

by sheep_in_a_spaceship



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arthur doesn't die, BAMF Merlin, Banter, Bromance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt Merlin, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Protective Arthur, Protective Gwaine, all my merlin stories are written as friendship but if you see them as slash sure why not, merlin doesn't die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 18:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 62,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12917439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheep_in_a_spaceship/pseuds/sheep_in_a_spaceship
Summary: Arthur and Merlin travel to a nearby kingdom to sign a treaty that guarantees the safety of all sorcerers. But not everyone is so open to accepting magic into their lives. There are people who are against magic, and they would hurt Emrys to get what they want. And there are others still,waiting for a chance to settle an old grudge with Merlin. (almost all of the main cast are here)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place several years after the Merlin Finale. I've made some changes to the story, because although I liked the finale, it was just too sad for me. And that's why, some of the characters, like Arthur and Gwaine, are alive here. I posted this on FanfictionNet a while back, and out of all my stories, this one's my favourite, so I thought I'd post it here as well. I hope you like this story, and please leave a review (if you feel like it of course), it would mean a lot to me :)

He swung his sword, moving and turning, successfully dodging their blows. It was four against one, but one of them was wounded, so his blows were weak and slow. The other three were healthy and strong, but they weren't skilled fighters, and although they knew how to hold their own, they were still no match for King Arthur Pendragon. The best swordsman in Camelot, who under normal circumstances, would have been able to deal with them quickly. But these were not normal circumstances. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Arthur. He was relatively well rested, his reflexes were as good as they've ever been, and were the situation different, he would almost be enjoying the battle. Not actually enjoying the battle, of course. He was fighting several bandits alone, he was in the forest, and there is always the possibility of losing, even when you're far more skilled than your enemies. But normally, Arthur would look on this as an ability to practice his abilities, and practicing always made him feel more confident and better about himself.

However, that was not the case now. He was not able to move freely in every direction, as he would have usually done when avoiding enemy attacks. He had to stay in one place, not allowing the bandits to come anywhere near the tree that was several feet behind him. He had to avoid their blows, and fight them all simultaneously, so none of them would be able to sneak past him, or go around him. No, he had to keep them occupied, and away from the tree. Why was that particular tree so important? It wasn't a magical tree. It wasn't a sacred place, and no one important was buried near the tree. It didn't hold any memories dear to Arthur, it didn't bear any delicious fruit, it wasn't even a particularly beautiful tree. No, Arthur couldn't care less about the actual tree. What he did care for was the person leaning against the tree. Merlin was back there, behind Arthur's back, barely able to stand. He had offered to use his magic to help, and to that, Arthur had very politely responded: "Don't you even think about using your magic tricks now Merlin! You'll use up all your energy, and I'll have to carry your sorry back all the way to Camelot!" And Merlin had agreed, either because Arthur had looked very kingly and dignified while saying that, or simply because he hadn't had the energy to argue. Arthur liked to think it was the former. Whatever the reason, that still left Merlin leaning against the tree, helpless, leaving Arthur to fight off the bandits alone.

He was getting desperate. Arthur's swordsmanship was leagues beyond that of the bandits, and he had the instincts and reflexes of a seasoned soldier. But even though that was true, Arthur was still alone in this fight. Sooner or later, he would get tired, and he wouldn't be able to keep fighting. And that would be very bad. At the moment, Arthur was trying to come up with a plan that would help him defeat the bandits, even for a short while. It was enough for him to grab Merlin and run away somewhere. He dodged the latest attack from the tallest of the bandits, punched him in the face, then turned to his left and hit the blond haired bandit on the head with the hilt of the sword. Both of them fell to the ground, and Arthur was left with the two remaining bandits. "Good" he thought "It's going to be easy to fight off these two, seeing as one of them is wounded". They fought for a few minutes, and things were going well for Arthur. The bandits were starting to get tired, and Arthur thought that the battle would be over soon.

And then he saw them. The two bandits he'd knocked down earlier were starting to move again. They got up and started running towards him. "This is it" Arthur thought to himself, panicking "there's no chance I can hold of all of their attacks at the same time. Why did the both of them have to wake up now, for God's sa…". He didn't finish his thought though, because a faint sound behind him caught his attention. He didn't recognize it at first, but after a few seconds he realized what it was. It was Merlin. Reciting a spell. Arthur didn't know what the words meant exactly, but he remembered having seen Merlin casting that same spell. He remembered how powerful that spell was, and the huge amount of power radiating from Merlin in those moments. He remembered how Merlin looked at those moments, so strong and powerful, and how his enemies ran away, trying to get away from the Great Emrys. But Merlin was healthy then. He was healthy, and fed and fully rested. He wouldn't be able to handle casting such a powerful spell now, not when he was wounded and exhausted form the blood loss. So Arthur tried to stop him. He turned around, but he never got the chance. Before the words were even out of his mouth, Merlin's eyes turned gold. The air around him changed, and Arthur felt a wave of energy that almost knocked him of his feet. But it did a lot more to the bandits. The four of them shot backwards through the air. Each of them collided with a tree, or a rock, and a strong blow at that speed was enough to knock anyone unconscious. They fell to the ground, unmoving, and Arthur wondered for a moment if they were really only unconscious or dead. The moment passed, and Arthur ran towards Merlin, feeling angry, worried and relieved all at the same time.

"You idiot, I told you not to use magic, I was handling the situation just fine".

"Of course" Merlin answered him, panting and trying to catch his breath "You could have handled everything on you own".

"Exactly. I am the king, after all".

"That doesn't mean anything, you can't even dress yours…" Merlin started, but his sentence was cut short when his legs gave out and he was suddenly falling forwards, unable to balance himself. Arthur was there just in time, catching Merlin by his shoulders and holding him up.

"I've got you" he said, looking at Merlin "Don't worry, I've got you.'' He leaned Merlin against the tree again, never letting go of him. Merlin's face was pale and he had a hard time catching his breath. It wouldn't have been a huge surprise if Merlin collapsed at this very moment. "You idiot" Arthur said, trying to sound normal, although his voice betrayed how worried and stressed he really was "You just had to go and be a show off, didn't you?"

The response never came. Merlin just looked at him, rolled his eyes and then he turned his attention back to focusing on his breathing. He was clutching Arthur's arms, trying to regain his balance. That spell took out too much energy out of him. Arthur was right (not that he would admit that out loud), he wasn't strong enough at the moment. His wound hurt like hell, his head hurt like hell, and all in all he wasn't feeling very good. And because that wasn't enough, his legs gave out again, and he would have fallen down if it weren't for Arthur's strong grip on him.

"All right, that's enough. I'm lowering you down. You wouldn't want your face to be covered in mud, wouldn't you? It's ugly enough as it is". And with those words, Arthur lowered Merlin down. Not being able to help himself, Merlin hissed when the movement caused his muscles to move, which in turn caused his abdomen to burn with pain.

"Sorry about that. There, now sit and relax. I'm going to go and check on the bandits. Sit here, and don't move". He adjusted Merlin and then headed of in the direction of the fallen bandits.

"Yes, because I had every intention of getting up and running around. Prat." thought Merlin to himself. He was actually really grateful and touched that Arthur worried about him so much. Of course, Merlin knew that Arthur cared for him. But the king wasn't a person who often showed, or talked about his emotions, and because of that, this caring side of Arthur was one that Merlin rarely saw. At the moment however, Arthur's feelings weren't his main concern. His wound now hurt more than before. Merlin was just grateful it hadn't started bleeding again. He was feeling very tired and lightheaded, and his vision was getting blurry. He had a hard time focusing on anything, and he wasn't really sure where they were, or how exactly they'd ended up in this situation. He did remember something about visiting some kingdom, and travelling. And he was sure there was some running involved. But his mind was fuzzy and Merlin didn't really want to make the effort to remember anything at the moment. He heard Arthur approaching and saying something about dead bandits. Everything that Arthur said after that turned into incoherent sounds, and Merlin was getting more and more tired, and if he could just close his eyes and rest, just for a moment…

"Merlin! Open your eyes, Merlin!" Arthur was suddenly yelling "We have to get to a safe place first. The bandits are dead, but more could come at any moment. We have to move". Arthur continued talking, but he stopped when he realized it was to no avail. Merlin was barely awake, and any words were lost on him. So he slid one arm around Merlin's back and slowly pulled Merlin up, into a standing (well, almost standing) position. The sudden movement caused pain in Merlin's wound, and that jolted him back to consciousness. He moaned, and said something along the lines of "Arthur, please, just leave me…" before he fell silent again. Arthur then looked at Merlin carefully. His wound wasn't bleeding, so that was good. But Merlin was exhausted and disoriented, and Arthur worried that the strain of the spell might have severe effects on Merlin's health. Pushing those thoughts away, he started walking, keeping Merlin up, and helping him walk, although he was more or less carrying him, because Merlin wasn't really able to walk.

They made their way through the forest, in search of a cave, or any safe place, where they could rest and hide. Their journey was slow, and Merlin was getting weaker and more tired with every step. The wound at his side sent sharp waves of pain with every movement, and he couldn't really concentrate on anything else. He was vaguely aware that they were looking for a shelter, although he didn't have a clue in which direction they were going. They traveled for what seemed like hours, and Merlin wondered why Arthur insisted on moving on. Everything looked the same anyway. His pain was unbearable at this point, and he moaned in pain at every step. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, they stopped. Arthur lowered Merlin to the ground, gently positioning his head onto something soft. He stared talking about something, but all the words sounded like muffled nonsense to Merlin. Arthur's voice sounded urgent and Merlin thought that Arthur might be talking about something very important. "Whatever it is, Arthur will handle it. He is the King, after all. But maybe, maybe, I should listen to him? Maybe, he needs my help? I should listen to him. Maybe…". He wanted to listen to Arthur. He wanted to do whatever Arthur was telling him to do. But his body had other plans. And so, Merlin surrendered to unconsciousness, Arthur's worried voice being the last thing he heard.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well Arthur, don't be too surprised. Of course something like this was bound to happen. Things can't go too well for you now, can they?" These words, among others, were spoken by Arthur Pendragon. They were only a small part of a long, angry rant, that covered everything from that god awful rain, greedy stupid bandits, knights that were never there when you really needed them, idiotic warlocks, and the bad luck that always seemed to follow Arthur every time he went on a longer trip. He just couldn't understand how these things kept happening to him. And they seemed to happen almost every time. Some misguided bandits would always attack them, or he and his knights would get separated, or something would happen. He alone couldn't count the number of similar situations he had lived through, and he wasn't too pleased with that.

After angrily pacing and ranting for almost half an hour, Arthur finally stopped at the entrance of the cave, looking outside. The cave wasn't very big. It was nearly the size of his room in Camelot. He chose this cave because it was hidden behind some big rocks and some trees. Arthur found it completely by accident, and he was grateful he did. It had started raining not long after he had found the cave, and it just kept raining and raining, without any sign of stopping any time soon.

His mind was racing, panicking. Where were his knights? He thought about the last time he'd seen them. They had been together when the bandits attacked them. There were around 20 bandits, and theirs had been a smaller party, of around 15 people. But these were Camelot's finest, and they had a good chance against them. He and his knights had fought bravely, and nothing could distract them. Nothing, until one of the bandits noticed Merlin, who had been standing on the side, with a sword in his hand, looking uncertain and pale. The bandit had then decided that Merlin was his next opponent, and he swung his sword in Merlin's direction, starting a duel with him. Merlin held his own for a while, finally proving that Arthur's lessons weren't for nothing. But he was injured, and he hadn't fought for long, when suddenly he fell to his knees, his sword falling down beside him. The bandit was ready to kill him… but then Gwaine and Arthur were there, with their swords and their fury, striking the bandit down. They then lifted Merlin, who wasn't able to stand by himself. A few other bandits started running towards them. Before Arthur could say anything, Gwaine turned to him and said "Go, take him to safety. We'll find you". He then took off in the direction of the bandits. Knowing that Gwaine was right, Arthur ran in the opposite direction, supporting Merlin, hoping he wasn't seeing his knights for the last time.

Lighting flashed in the dark sky, and thunder cracked the air. The rain kept on poring. Arthur was staring in the distance, not looking at anything in particular. The hot anger he felt moments ago was replaced by a deep sadness. He steadied himself, and with a sigh, he turned around. He knew what he was about to see, but it still shocked him. There, on the cave floor, close to the fire Arthur had lit before, was Merlin. He was lying on a thin blanket, one of the few things Arthur and Merlin had with them when they got separated from the knights. He was covered with his dark blue cloak, and under his head was Arthur's cloak, serving as a temporary pillow. He hadn't woken up yet, and it was driving Arthur crazy. He knew it was normal that Merlin was exhausted, and frankly, he was surprised how Merlin hadn't passed out earlier. The spell that Merlin cast before was a powerful one, and Arthur was scared that it would be enough to kill him in his weakened state… but luckily Merlin proved him wrong.

He sat next to Merlin, adjusting the makeshift pillow, trying to make Merlin more comfortable, although he knew it was doing little to help him. Merlin was asleep, exhausted from the spell, the blood loss, the fighting, the running, and if that alone wasn't enough, the poison was slowly making its way to Merlin's heart. It was something that Arthur couldn't fight, something he couldn't kill with his sword. The potion the queen had given them was helping, but it wasn't a cure. Arthur took the little glass bottle from his bag and looked at it. There was only a third of the potion left. And it didn't look like they were getting any closer to Camelot, at least not tonight.

Arthur returned the precious bottle in his bag, and then, he looked at Merlin. Merlin looked peaceful, as if he were only asleep. Looking at him now, you'd never think that whole affair with the wound and the poison ever happened. Arthur wished for it to be true. But of course it wasn't true, and now his friend was laying here, slowly dying before him…

A few hot tears rolled down Arthur's face. "No man is worth your tears", he had told Merlin years ago. And that was another example where Merlin had proven him wrong.

-_-_-_-What happened before-_-_-_-_-

"Welcome, King Arthur and Emrys. And welcome, brave knights of Camelot".

"Thank you, your Majesty. We are honoured to be here", said Arthur Pendragon, as he bowed to Queen Ouida. He and Merlin, along with 15 of his knights, had traveled from Camelot to sign a new treaty concerning magic. Queen Guinevere had stayed in Camelot, to rule in Arthur's absence. Arthur had complete faith in her, trusting her to make the right decisions. It had been a few difficult years since that faithful day when Merlin had told Arthur about his magic. A lot of things had changed since then. Magic was now treated as a normal thing, there were laws about its use, and more and more of Camelot's residents were accepting it as a part of their lives. Magic users were now free to live wherever they wanted, as long as the used their magic for good. And if they used it for bad things, they would have to deal with the most powerful warlock, the Great and Powerful Emrys.

"It's an honour to have you here, Arthur" said the Queen. "My husband sends his apologies. He will be here tomorrow. There was a rebellion in a nearby village that needed to be dealt with urgently. He will be delighted to see you again, Arthur. And of course, he is looking forward to meeting with you, Emrys".

"Thank you, your Majesty. I'm looking forward to meeting King Robin as well." said Merlin, talking for the first time since they entered the main hall. "You really don't have to call me Emrys, though. Only the Druids refer to me as Emrys. Merlin is just fine". Arthur glared at him, and Merlin tried to correct himself "I mean, that's if, if you wanted to, you could me Emrys if you wanted, I didn't mean to offend yo…"

"All right, all right, just Merlin then." The Queen interrupted him, as a gentle smile appeared on her face "I am sure you are all very tired from your long journey. We have rooms ready for you and your knights, King Arthur, you may rest now if you want. We can talk further over dinner".

"Thank you, my Queen. I look forward to dinner" said Arthur, smiling at the Queen, and bowing to her. He had known her for a few years, and he was good friends with her and King Robin.

"So, Merlin" he said, catching up to Merlin, once they were outside the main hall "have you taken the bags to my room yet?"

"Even though it would give me the greatest pleasure to do so, I, unfortunately, am not your servant anymore. So no, King Arthur, I have not, nor will I be talking your bags to your room" answered Merlin, walking through the long hallway, trying not to get lost, while he was searching for his and Arthur's rooms. Their rooms were next to one another, and to Arthur's disappointment, their rooms were completely the same.

''I'm a bit disappointed really" said Arthur, vastly underselling his disappointment. He was dumbstruck when the Queen had informed them that the two best guest rooms were reserved for them, meaning that the two rooms were luxurious, but identical "I would have thought they would have given me a better room than you. I mean, I AM the king, after all. And as you said, you're just Merlin, so…"

"I know Arthur, we all have to make sacrifices." Said Merlin as they finally arrived at their rooms, "It's just one more burden for the Magnificent King Arthur Pendragon. I'm sure that one day, great poets will write about your suffering, and I only hope…"

"Oh shut up, Merlin" said Arthur, "as if you know anything about poetry". And with that great comeback, Arthur Pendragon entered his room, and closed the door. A few of Camelot's knights passed by, laughing quietly, having heard the whole conversation. Merlin smiled at them, and entered his room.

He looked around his room. It was similar to Arthur's room in Camelot. It had a big comfortable bed, a soft carpet, and a big window facing east. The room was decorated with many pictures and flowers though, which Arthur's room lacked, and which Merlin quite liked.

He sat on the bed and just stared out the window. He couldn't believe it. In these few short years, so many things had changed. Arthur knew about his magic, Gwen knew, the knights knew, and the whole kingdom knew. It was difficult at first. People's feelings were hurt, and it took some time until they all came to terms with Merlin's true nature. Many people were unconvinced that magic was accepted now, thinking it was all just a big ruse, to get the sorcerers to reveal themselves, and then be killed. But slowly, that changed as well. The fear of magic that plagued Camelot for so long started to fade away. Of course, there were still some who nurtured Uther's beliefs. But their numbers were diminishing every day. And now, they were here, in this kingdom, to sign a treaty which would guarantee the acceptance of magic within its borders. It was almost too good to be true, Merlin thought.

The dinner went in the best possible way. The Queen was a calm, wise and kind woman. She was Arthur's friend, and she offered Merlin her friendship as well, which he gladly accepted. She asked him about his life as the official advisor of the King. They talked about her life here, and Merlin found that he quite enjoyed her company. The next day, when they met for breakfast, they found out the King had returned from his mission. Merlin officially met him then, and was surprised at how enthusiastic the King was about meeting him. He sat Merlin next to him at breakfast, and he started asking him all these questions about magic in Camelot, the number of sorcerers and sorceresses he had met, what his favourite spell was, and many, many more. Merlin didn't really get a chance to eat much, although he didn't really mind, because he was glad that the King was so curious about magic.

After the breakfast, the Queen and King showed Merlin around their castle. It was a beautiful castle, and Merlin often found himself deep in conversation with the King. In those moments, the Queen would quietly walk beside them, trying not the laugh at the confused Merlin, who couldn't figure out how to answer all the King's questions at once.

"And so Merlin, I have to ask" started the King again "if you ever had the need to fly, what spell would you use? Is there a special spell for flying? Or is it more like floating? Or would you just use your ability to move things with your mind to move an object you were already standing on? But of course I know about that ability Merlin, I asked Arthur all about you the last time he was here, and I have to say, it's one of my favourites. Although, that ability of yours to stop time, that's pretty close too. And so, tell me…"

"My King" the Queen suddenly said "I'm sorry I have to interrupt you, but isn't it time for the meeting with the council?"

"What? What meeti… Ahh, that one, yes. I almost forgot about that". The King looked disappointed for a moment, but then his face lit up "Yes, and I had some new ideas for the repairs in the lower part of the town, do you remember? Oh, I'm certain that they'll love my ideas. Will you be joining us at the meeting my dear?" the King asked his Queen.

"Not today, dear. It would be rude to leave our guests unattended to. And I'm sure the council will want to hear all about your ideas. I doubt my presence will be much needed." She answered, smiling at him.

"Yes, you're quite right. I'm sorry for this, my friend," said the King, talking to Merlin again "I have to go the meeting. But I would love to continue our talk when you have the time. My lovely Queen will show you the rest of the castle".

"Thank you your majesty. I look forward to our next talk" said Merlin to him. The King smiled at that, kissed his wife at the cheek, and with even more enthusiasm than before, said "That's wonderful. I will see you later, my new friend, my dear Queen." And with those words, he turned and went inside the castle.

"I feel I must apologise for my husband" started the queen, as they walked through the gardens. "He is a just king, a loving husband and a loyal friend. But sometimes, he gets a bit, well… "she paused, blushing slightly "over excited about things…"

"Your Majesty, there is no need to apologise" Merlin assured her, "I rarely meet people who are so curious about magic, and I really enjoy talking about it. And your King has so much enthusiasm about so many things, it's a pleasure talking to him".

"Yes, he certainly doesn't lack enthusiasm" said the Queen, laughing "you saw how excited he was about his ideas. The council respects him for his ideas and his dedication to the kingdom. But sometimes, he has too many ideas, and they have to talk to him and convince him not everything can be done at once. It's entertaining to watch them trying to calm him down when he's in the middle of explaining his newest plans. We'll invite you to one of the meetings, if you'd like, and you can see for yourself."

"I would like that, thank you" Merlin said, enjoying the walk in the sunny gardens.

The next day, they met to discuss the terms of the treaty. The meeting had lasted for three hours. They settled on all the conditions, and all that was left was for one of council men to read all the agreed upon terms to the Majesties and Merlin. The treaty was long, and it took a long time to read it all. Merlin would have been out of his mind with boredom, if he hadn't found a way to amuse himself. It was fun to compare Arthur, who was trying to keep his face concentrated and respectful, when it was clear to everyone that he was minutes away from falling asleep of boredom, versus the genuinely interested face of King Robin, who listened intently, seeing if he can add something else to the agreement. When the reading of the treaty was finally over, Arthur was the first to stand up. He had a feeling that King Robin would want to open a discussion of some kind, that wasn't vital to the treaty. And he had had enough discussions for the day.

He left for his room, hearing familiar footsteps rushing after him. "Well" said Merlin, catching up to him "glad that's over with".

"For once I agree" said Arthur "I respect King Robin, he's a dear and valued friend. But Gods, that man can talk. Did you hear him after the last condition was agreed upon? 'Would you like to discuss the pros and cons again, Arthur? I came up with some new arguments, it will be an interesting debate'. No I would not like to discuss it again!" said Arthur, while Merlin laughed quietly "I honestly thought I was going to grow old at that meeting".

"I know a spell for that, I can try it if you…"Merlin started explaining, but after receiving a look that could almost turn to stone, he changed his mind and decided to shut up.

"Well Merlin, I'm off to my chambers to rest. I suggest you do the same. I overheard Gwaine telling Percival that he planned to get you drink tonight at the celebration. You're going to need your all energy to get away from Gwaine". Arthur opened the door to his room, and before he entered it he turned to Merlin "Although, you could do with a bit of relaxing. I'm not so sure that you getting drink is such a bad thing."

"Oh is that so? How am I supposed to fend off potential magical attacks if I'm drunk?"

"Oh Merlin, always the pessimist. Relax. You're here as a guest, not a protector. What could possibly go wrong if you relaxed for one night?" And with that, Arthur closed the door to his room.

"I suppose you're right" Merlin said as he entered his own room, even though he had a nagging feeling that the night wouldn't go as smoothly as planned.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur woke up suddenly, wondering when he had fallen asleep. He remembered checking Merlin's temperature. He'd been pleased to find out that Merlin didn't have a fever, and yet he still hadn't woken up. Arthur remembered getting frustrated about that… And he assumed that he'd fallen asleep sometime after that.

He looked outside the cave. It was sunrise. The heavy rain from last night had finally stopped, it was only drizzling now. Pale rays of sunshine were shining through the drops of rain hanging from the leaves, making them sparkle and shine, reminding Arthur of Merlin's golden magic.

The fire was still burning, but only barely. Arthur threw some old branches in it, trying to make the fire bigger again, when a weak voice whispered his name.

"Merlin, you're awake!" He said as he abandoned the fire, and turned to his friend. Merlin was indeed awake. He was looking an Arthur, with a confused, almost dreamy look.

"Arthur…" Merlin said, although it was more of a whisper " Where, ar.. where are we, wha.. what happene..?"

"What's the last thing you remember Merlin?"

"I… we were running, and a tree, I was… I was leaning against the tree. You… you were…" Merlin started to remember, but every new word required a huge amount of effort.

"Easy Merlin" Arthur said "That's right, we were running, and then I leaned you against the tree to keep you safe from the.."

"From the bandits!" Merlin cut him off "There were… 4 of them and, you… you had to fight… them, and I… I used magic, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. Even though you know you weren't supposed to" answered Arthur, pretending to have a stern tone, and failing miserably. He was just really glad his friend was finally awake.

"Yes, well" Merlin continued, with a more steady tone "I know. But you were getting your royal arse kicked, I had to help"

"For your information Merlin, I was moments away from dealing with them on my own" said Arthur "They were really no match for my abilities, I had everything under control…"

"Of course, Sire, I apologise" answered Merlin, chuckling softly. His movements were slow and sluggish, and Arthur could see that even this small conversation was talking a lot of energy from him.

"How are you feeling Merlin?" asked the King, suddenly serious. "Oh. Excellent Arthur, how are you?" answered Merlin, in his usual joking tone. But then he saw the way Arthur looked at him. His blue eyes were full of worry, and they were following every move Merlin made. So Merlin became serious as well, not wanting to upset Arthur more than he already had. He knew how the stabbing and everything that happened after that weighed on Arthur, and he decided that maybe, now was not the time to joke.

"The pain's better, now" he told Arthur "It hurts, but it's sort of a numb pain, and it's not as intense as it was before. At this point, I'm just tired". Arthur nodded, taking in all that Merlin said. He wanted to say something to reassure Merlin, or some joke to relieve the tension a bit. They would always joke in situations like these, after all. But suddenly, Arthur found himself speechless. 'How is this all going to end?' he thought, looking blankly at Merlin. 'Were the knights even alive? And what about Merlin? How long does he have until…'

"You know" said Merlin's voice, snapping Arthur out of his spiraling thoughts "I did save your life, when we were fighting the bandits, before… I was thinking, I deserve a day off, don't I?"

Arthur than looked at his friend. Merlin was looking right back at him, with a cheerful, albeit tired looking face. He was hurt, tired, and probably frightened, but he was still joking around, just to make Arthur feel better…. Everything felt wrong, but that gave Arthur hope. And so he smiled, determined to act strong for Merlin, even if he didn't feel strong at all.

"Well" he told Merlin, with a kingly, confident tone. He stood up, and straightened himself, looking majestic and proud again "I will put it under consideration. We could certainly work something out". He smiled at Merlin, who smiled right back. "But, of course" Arthur continued "That means, that when you do get back to work, you'll have double the responsibilities. I can't have you slacking off now, can I?"

Merlin looked at him, trying to give him a glaring look. He of course, failed at that, and he just smiled at Arthur, glad that Arthur was feeling a bit like his usual self again. "Prat". He just said, shaking his head. His wound decided to surprise him at that moment, and it started hurting more than it had before. It was like a lightning strike, a sharp pain at his side, suddenly hitting him and spreading throughout his body, burning him from inside out. Merlin let out a pained breath, grasping at his wound, as if that was going to help somehow. He was turning at different directions, his body thrashing with every new wave of pain, trying to get away from the pain, trying to run far away from it…

Arthur was there at once. One of his hands was at Merlin's shoulder, trying to comfort him somehow. The other one held the little glass bottle, the one with the potion inside it. "You have to drink this Merlin. It's been a day since your last dose, and it will help with the pain." He lifted Merlin's head with his right hand, just enough for Merlin to be able to drink from the bottle.

Merlin took a small gulp of the liquid. The effects were instant. The cool liquid came down his throat, and its cooling effects spread through his whole body. It dulled the pain in his wound as well. It felt as if someone had pressed a cold knife on the wound. It hurt for a moment, but then the pain was significantly lowered. It still hurt, but it was the familiar, numb pain from before, and he could deal with that. His breathing evened out again. It took a few minutes for him to calm down completely. Throughout those moments, Arthur was there, one hand on Merlin's shoulder, looking at him, with what he hoped was a supporting and hopeful look. "It's all right Merlin, you're all right now."

"Yeah, thanks" said Merlin, when he finally stabilized himself enough to find his voice again "I think" he then continued, his eyes slowly closing "I think I'd like to sleep now, Arthur…".And with that, his eyes closed, his head fell to the side, and he was sleeping, getting his much needed rest.

"Sleep, Merlin" Arthur quietly said, looking at him. He covered Merlin which his jacket again, which had slipped off before, when Merlin was nervously turning and tossing, trying to get rid of the pain. He looked peaceful now, and Arthur hoped that at least he didn't feel the pain in his sleep. "I wonder if we'll make it in time" thought Arthur, and then immediately snapped at himself, for even having such doubtful thoughts "Of course we will, don't be an idiot. Merlin will be fine…" That was his mantra, and he kept repeating that to himself, as he continued sitting at Merlin's side, his hand still at Merlin's shoulder. It was a useless gesture, seeing as Merlin was asleep, and he probably couldn't feel anything at this moment. But it was helping Arthur somehow, reassuring him that Merlin was still there, that he was still alive…

Suddenly, there was a sound of someone moving outside the cave. Arthur jumped to his feet, his sword in hand, and he listened. There were a few people outside, judging by their footsteps, and they were getting closer to the cave's entrance. Arthur positioned himself in front of Merlin, ready to fight off whoever was out there, and doing everything he could to protect Merlin.

-_-_-_-What happened before-_-_-_-_-

It was a very busy evening for everyone in the Kingdom. The Queen and King were hosting a special dinner, celebrating the signing of the treaty. All the nobles had been invited. The royal Majesties had even organized a party, much more modest of course, for the citizens of the town. That party was being held in the royal gardens. The celebration for the royals was held in the main hall, which had been reorganized now. Long tables had been brought in, and they were burdened with all different kinds of exotic foods and drinks. The walls and columns of the great hall were decorated with flowers. Some resident sorcerers had cast spells that gave the flowers a brilliant glow, and they were now sparkling in brilliant red, blue and silver colours.

Merlin was in his room, getting ready for the evening. Ever since becoming Arthur's servant, he had attended many celebrations like these. And then when Arthur had found about his magic, and made him his official advisor, Merlin had to get used to some changes. From that moment he wasn't attending these events like a servant, like he had done before. He was now one of the guests, and he was the one being served. It was so different, and even though it was more enjoyable this way, Merlin still felt a bit uncomfortable.

He was putting on his new purple cloak. It was one of his more elegant and ceremonial cloaks, reserved for events like these. His favourite dark blue cloak had been laid at his bed, along with a few others. All of these, including the one he was putting on now, were given to him by Gwen.

These cloaks meant a lot of him. When Gwen had first found out about his magic, her reaction was a mixed one. She was happy that he and Arthur were both alive of course. She had hugged him, and the following day, they had a long talk. He told her everything, and she listened. At the end of their talk she thanked him for all that he had done. She had said that she still cared about him, but that she would need some time to figure things out. Merlin understood that even though she had forgiven him about all his secrets, the lying still hurt. So a few weeks passed. And every time that she met him, Gwen would be nothing but nice and polite to him. But there was something different. She was more reserved, almost as if she didn't know how to act around him. Those two weeks had been the longest of Merlin's life. But on the day before his new position as the King's official advisor was to be announced, Gwen had come round his chambers, with a few new cloaks in her hands. She had given Merlin a big hug, accompanied by her familiar, kind smile. Merlin knew that all was as it should be between them, and from that moment on, these cloaks were a constant reminder of Gwen's friendship and support.

There was a knocking on the door, and before Merlin could say "Come in", the door opened and Gwaine came barging in, with Percival following behind him.

"Merlin my friend" Gwaine told him, putting his arm around Merlin's shoulders, looking at their reflections in the mirror "you look stunning."

"Stunning, Gwaine, really?" said Merlin, chuckling at the unusual compliment "Save those words for the ladies at the party".

"Oh, but I have other words reserved for those beauties, don't worry about that" Gwaine said, and turning to look at Percival, called out "Come here Perce, stand beside us".

Percival came closer to his two friends, and with an exasperated face, similar to Merlin's, turned to look at the reflections in the mirror.

"Well look at us" said Gwaine, a brilliant smile on his face "Camelot's finest bachelors. I think it's time to delight the ladies of this wonderful kingdom with our presence".

"Aren't we supposed to wait for Arthur?" asked Percival. It was clear that he was a bit uncomfortable at the thought of 'delighting the ladies', as Gwaine had put it. He was a great warrior and friend, but he was nonetheless shy around beautiful women.

"The Princess" Gwaine started "is a married man". He stopped for a moment, realizing how strange that sentence must have sounded. "He has a wonderful woman waiting for him at home. As far as I'm concerned, he will not be taking part in any plans that include dazzling beautiful young women. If he does" Gwaine said, a bit menacingly "he will have to answer to me."

"Still, I think he said we should wait for him." said Merlin "Didn't he say he wanted us all to arrive at celebration together?"

"The Princess says a lot of things Merlin" said Gwaine, arms around his friends' shoulders, nudging them towards the door "I can't listen to everything he says. I'm sure he'll find his way to the main hall alone, sooner or later. In the meantime, those ladies are waiting!" And with those words, he pushed them out of the door, and they headed towards the main hall.

-_-_-_-Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur stood in front of Merlin, ready to take on his enemies, when suddenly he saw Gwaine's silhouette at the cave's entrance.

"Arthur! You're all right" said Gwaine, a smile forming on his face. "Leon!" he yelled at the figure several feet behind him, "It's Arthur!"

"Gwaine, Leon" Arthur greeted them as they entered the cave. The smile on Gwaine's face disappeared as soon as he saw Merlin's figure on the cave floor. "No, Merlin" he said, making his way toward his injured friend "Arthur, is he…"

"He's stable, for now" said Arthur kneeling besides Merlin, with Leon joining him after a few moments.

"What happened, Sire?" asked Leon, looking worriedly at Merlin. "We defeated the remaining bandits, and then we started following your trails. We came across four more bandits, but they were dead. Did you…?"

"It was Merlin" said Arthur. Gwaine and Leon then looked at Arthur, surprise written on their faces. "I was fighting off the bandits for a while" he started remembering the previous' day's events. "But then they regrouped and attacked me all at once. They would have killed me, if it wasn't for Merlin's spell…"

"Those four bandits were killed by Merlin's spell?" asked Gwaine, obviously terrified for his friend "That must have been a powerful spell, Arthur, how is he still alive? You know he's not strong enough…"

"Of course I know Gwaine!" yelled Arthur, last night's anger returning to him now in full power "I know, and I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. The stupid idiot went and cast the spell anyway, just to save me…"

"Arthur" said Leon, with a serious tone, "It wasn't your fault, you know how Merlin is."

"That's no excuse Leon, I should have protected him…"

"Leon is right Arthur" said Gwaine with a quiet tone, looking at Merlin "we all know how stubborn Merlin is. I'm sorry" he said then, looking at Arthur "I know it wasn't you fault. I'm just…"

"I know" Arthur cut him off, calming down "I know, you're worried about him. He woke up not long ago."

"How was he? Has his condition taken a turn for the worse?" asked Gwaine.

"I'm afraid it has, yes. He was exhausted when we started running away from the bandits. He almost passed out after casting the spell, it's a miracle he didn't pass out there and then. He's been out of it since last night, and he only woke up a short while ago…"

"How was he when he woke up?" asked Leon, urging Arthur to go on.

Arthur pushed himself to go on "He was fine when he woke up, remembering everything that happened. But then…" and Arthur paused, remembering the pain his friend had gone through "he suddenly got worse. His wound started hurting again, and he was in agony, thrashing around… I gave him a drop of the potion, and that calmed him down, and eased his pain. He fell asleep soon after that" finished Arthur, looking at his knights. Their faces were shocked, and full of worry for their friend.

Arthur took the small bottle out of his bag, and handed it to Gwaine. "There's not much of the potion left" he said, admitting the sad truth. "And every time Merlin moves, his condition worsens. I fear he won't make it to Camelot". Those last few words surprised Leon and Gwaine. It was not like Arthur to give up, no matter how hard the task before them was.

"No Arthur" started Gwaine, standing up, anger rising in him "we can't give up now, there's still a chance, we can't just…"

"I'm not saying we should give up" said Arthur, as he stood up to look Gwaine in the eyes. Then with a cold and steady voice that sent shivers down Gwaine's neck, he added "I will never give up on Merlin".

There was silence in the cave for a few moments. Then Leon, who was the first who managed to compose himself, asked "What is you plan Sire?"

Arthur looked at Leon, and then at Gwaine. "Merlin isn't strong enough to survive the journey to Camelot. But" and he turned to look at Merlin as he said his next words "If Merlin isn't strong enough to travel to the cure… We'll just have to bring the cure to him".

"But Sire" started Leon "A journey to Camelot and back here again? It will take at least 3 days, if not more, and Merlin is weak, he'll never make it…"

"No Leon" said Gwaine, interrupting him "Merlin may be weak now, but he's the strongest person I know. He can make it." He then turned to Arthur "I will make the journey to Camelot and back Arthur. The rest of our knights are nearby. I'll take one of the horses, and I'll set off immediately." Arthur looked him in the eyes for a few moment, and nodded his head. Gwaine then kneeled next to Merlin. He put his hand on Merlin's shoulder, gave a short squeeze and said "Hold on mate. I'll be back soon". And then he stood up, and got out the cave.

Arthur and Leon kept staring in the direction Gwaine left.

"I hope he makes it in time" said Leon.

"He will" said Arthur. He then turned around to look at Merlin again, and repeated his words, to comfort Leon, and most importantly, to comfort himself "He has to make it Leon. And he will."


	4. Chapter 4

After Gwaine had left, Athur sent Leon to meet with the other knights. Merlin hadn't woken up yet. Arthur thought about last night, how he had been all alone, not knowing if Merlin would wake up, or if his knights were even alive. "Well", he said to Merlin, even though he knew Merlin couldn't hear him, "at least the knights are here now". He sat down next to his sleeping friend, watching the fire burning in front of him. While the flames danced in front of his eyes, Arthur thought about Gwaine, wondering if he was going to make it in time. He trusted Gwaine with his life, and he knew the knight would sooner die, than give up on trying to save Merlin. He just hoped that his determination would be enough to bring him back in time.

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur had indeed managed to find his way to the main hall. After he went to Merlin's room, and finding it empty, he went to check Gwaine's room. After finding that room empty as well, he made his way to the main hall, angry at his friends. Yes, his afternoon nap had lasted a bit longer than he planned, but they could have waited for him! His anger faded when he entered the main hall. What he saw then astounded him. The walls were shining with brilliant lights, that could have only been made with magic. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, just adding to the beauty of the already magnificent hall. The long tables were filled with different kinds of food and drinks, and he could hear the wonderful sound of people laughing and chatting away. Arthur stood at the door for a few moments, taking it all in. He only wished that Gwen could have been there at this moment. He missed her a lot, and he knew she would have just loved all those flowers.

Looking around, he saw King Robert and Queen Ouida dancing at the opposite side of the hall, happy to be in each other's arms. Arthur smiled, as he continued to look around the hall, until he finally spotted Merlin and some of his knights. He made his way towards them, with the intention of giving them a long speech about respecting their King and his authority.

"Well, well, if it isn't my former manservant and his friends" said Arthur as he approached them "I must thank you for waiting for me, so kind of you…"

"Sorry Arthur," said Merlin blushing slightly "we wanted to wait for you, but then Gwaine came and…"

"There are no excuses for disrespecting your king, Merlin. And Gwaine…" said Arthur, looking around for the knight "Where is Gwaine, anyway?"

"He's over there" said Percival, pointing. Arthur turned in that direction and saw Gwaine surrounded by several beautiful women. All of them were listening to his every word, except one, who was respectful enough to listen to him, but didn't look as impressed as the others.

"Well" said Arthur, "I can't say I'm surprised. Why aren't you two there, talking to those beautiful ladies?"

"Gwaine said" Merlin started, "that it'd be best if he went over there first, and dazzled them with his charm, before introducing them to us."

"Ahh yes, the great tactical planning of one of my best knights" said Arthur, laughing as he watched Gwaine, who was now headed towards them.

"Arthur, glad you could join us" said Gwaine as he reached them, clapping Arthur on the shoulder "All right lads," he then said to Merlin and Percival with a serious tone "I talked with them, and they would love to meet you. So what do you say, eh?"

"You and Percival go ahead, Gwaine" said Arthur before anyone else had a chance to say anything "I just want to have a word with Merlin"

"All right princess, just don't keep him talking for too long" said Gwaine, and then he turned to Percival "All right Perce, I'd like to introduce you to Wilda, she's the one standing on the side, can you see her? " He then pointed to the woman who was standing with her friends, the one who didn't seem impressed with Gwaine before. "I spoke to her Perce, and she seems smart, not like her friends who were more easily impressed. I think you'd like her, what do you say?"

"Why, uhm, why not" said Percival, obviously nervous about meeting Wilda, who he had noticed was very beautiful. "

"Excellent" said Gwaine pleased with Percival's answer "Now I just need to find someone for Yetta. She's, well, she's fun, lets put it that way. She certainly laughs a lot… I need to find someone who's not the brightest tool in the shed, if you understand where I'm… Ah! Robert! Sir Robert, just the man I needed!" Gwaine called out when he spotted one of Camelot's youngest knights. Pushing Percival in Robert's direction, he started gesturing and explaining his plan to Robert, leaving Merlin and Arthur laughing behind him.

"So Merlin" said Arthur, turning to the warlock "are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes" answered Merlin "I think this is the first party I've attended since becoming your advisor that I've actually enjoyed."

"I'm glad to hear that Merlin." Arthur continued "I'll never say this again, but you deserve a little relaxation. You've been doing a good job dealing with all the anti-magic rebels lately."

"Hang on" said Merlin suddenly, with a serious tone "This can't be!"

"What Merlin? What is it?" said Arthur, readying himself for a battle against a possible enemy.

"Did you…" Merlin said, staring at Arthur "Did you actually admit I've done a good job? With a real compliment? Arthur tell me, am I dying? I must be, since you're being all so nic.."

"Oh shut up, Merlin" said Arthur angrily, once he realized there was no danger. He punched Merlin in the shoulder, and walked away, mumbling something about idiots and warlocks. Merlin laughed for a few moments, and then headed towards Gwaine, Percival and their beautiful new friends.

-_-_-Now-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Gwaine had been riding for about an hour. He knew the journey to Camelot would normally last a day and a half. But Gwaine was a man who liked when the odds were against him, and he was determined to reach Camelot within the day. He felt pity for his poor horse, but after all, the horse was strong and would live, and Merlin's life was on the line.

Merlin… That man had made his way into Gwaine's life by accident, and yet, he had become the best friend Gwaine ever had. Gwaine had never met such a man, or woman, as selfless, brave and humble as Merlin. He thought those things about Merlin even before he knew about his magic. And now… he just had even more respect for the man. As he continued riding through the wilderness, Gwaine remembered the day when he had found out Merlin's magic. He was surprised, although, not as much as you'd expect. There was always something mysterious about Merlin, and the fact that he had magic explained a lot. He was a bit hurt, of course, that Merlin hadn't confided in him. But then, after a long talk with him, Gwaine understood exactly how difficult it had been for him. He then forgave Merlin, and he was the one friend who was by Merlin's side during those few long weeks, while everyone else was busy deciding whether they still trusted Merlin or not.

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Merlin was enjoying the celebrations. He had spent a good portion of the evening talking to the Queen and the King, before he joined Arthur and Gwaine in laughing as they watched Leon's attempts to charm a conceited noble woman. Percival joined them later, but he didn't say much for the rest of the evening. He had this dreamy look on him, which Gwaine explained was due to Wilda. "I saw them talking and laughing before… I'm sure he's still thinking of her" said Gwaine proudly.

And Percival wasn't the only one that had been delighted by the ladies. During the evening, Merlin met an intriguing young woman, called Aldreda. They had talked about many different things, and they finally settled on the topic of magic.

"It's a wonderful thing, magic" she told Merlin. "I think it can make people's lives so much better".

"I'm glad to hear that" said Merlin "If that wasn't your opinion, this conversation would have become uncomfortable very, very quickly, with me being the Mighty Emrys, and all that"

"I'm not afraid of you, oh Mighty Emrys" said Aldreda, smiling at him "but I do agree on your views concerning magic. Although" she suddenly said with a more serious tone "I'm not sure your signing of the treaty was a good thing".

"I don't understand" said Merlin, confused at her words "I thought you said magic can improve people's lives…?"

"Oh no, no I didn't mean it like that" said Aldreda, trying to explain herself "I, like many other citizens, was for the signing of the treaty. I think it's a big step in the right direction. But" she said, continuing with a more solemn tone, "There are others, who were opposing the signing. They are against magic, declaring that it can only bring suffering. They were threatening to stop the signing"

"Aldreda, there are always people like that" said Merlin, finally understanding her, "but we can't let them stop us. We can't let them win by giving up. And besides, the signing was this afternoon, and no one tried to stop it. So don't worry so much"

"You do have a point, Emrys…" she started to say, before Merlin interrupted her "Just Merlin, please"

"Oh, all right then," said Aldreda, giving him a shy smile "Merlin." And then, with a little more courage in her voice, she said "Would you like to dance, Merlin? I'm not a great dancer, but I…"

"Aldreda" said Merlin, talking her hand "I would love to dance." They danced for the rest of the evening, enjoying in each other's company. When she had to leave, Aldreda excused herself, thanking him for his company.

"Goodbye, my Lady" said Merlin, as he leaned forward to kiss Aldreda's hand "I hope we see each other again".

"Yes" answered Aldreda, flustered and blushing slightly "I hope we will. Goodbye, Merlin". She walked away from Merlin, giving him one last glance, before she exited the hall.

-_-_-Now-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After riding for three hours, Gwaine was still determined to save his friend. Unfortunately, his horse desperately needed to rest. Knowing that the poor horse was close to dying from exhaustion, Gwaine decided to stop and rest for a while. He stopped near a river, where there was plenty of fresh grass for the horse. He sat on one rock, staring at the horse, his patience quickly slipping away. Maybe he could make the horse rest faster if he continued to stare at him? It didn't make a lot of sense, but Gwaine didn't care. He had never been a very patient man, and it didn't look how he was about to change now.

Hearing some noises behind him, he quickly turned around, sword held tightly in his hand.

"Hey, wait, wait!" yelled the short man before him. He had a small bag on his back, and a hawk was sitting on his shoulder "I surrender, don't kill me!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Gwaine, lowering his sword.

"I just wanted to refill my water skin" said the man, lifting the aforementioned water skin "My name is Ian, and I'm travelling to Camelot, to deliver this messenger bird to Lord Tywin."

"Messenger bird, eh?" said Gwaine, an idea forming in his head "Tell you what Ian. I won't harm you, I promise. "

Gwaine threw his sword on the ground. Then, with his most charming smile, he looked at Ian "Can I just ask you for one favor, Ian?"

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

At the moment, Merlin was trying to stay calm and collected, which was getting more and more difficult, seeing as Arthur and Gwaine had been teasing him about Aldreda ever since they left the hall. They had seen them dancing, and realizing they mustn't squander this opportunity, started coming up with the most creative jokes.

"Arthur, Gwaine, I am warning you. I am a powerful warlock, I could turn you both into toads."

"Turn yourself into a competent dancer first, mate" said Gwaine before he and Arthur started laughing again.

"Come on, I wasn't that ba…" And then, he stopped talking. His magic was trying to warn him about something, about an incoming danger. He looked around, and he could see no one but Arthur and Gwaine. He listened, carefully. There were no other sounds besides the sound of his friends' laughter. And yet that feeling that someone was watching them, ready to attack, was still there. But who…?

"Arthur, Gwaine, shut up" he told his friends, trying to get them to concentrate.

"Come on Merlin, even you have to admit that your dancing could use a bit of work" said Arthur, trying to calm himself down.

"That doesn't matter, just shut up, and listen!"

"Come on mate, lighten up..."

"There's someone there, you dollopheads, listen…" but it was all he managed to say before 10 men in dark green robes suddenly appeared before them. Five of them jumped down from the ceiling, and the other five appeared out of some hidden hallways. That was enough for Gwaine and Arthur to sober up. It was pure luck they even had swords with them. Arthur had brought his ceremonial sword, and Gwaine only took his sword to impress the ladies…

One way or another, they were all armed. The masked men attacked them all at once. Whispering a few words, Merlin sent 5 of the men flying through the air. Gwaine lunged towards the two men closest to him, and Arthur attacked the two men behind him. Merlin turned to the last man, and threw a few fiery balls at him. But the man moved with speed and grace, and easily avoided Merlin's attacks. Merlin was shocked, and attacked the man again, this time using more advanced magic against him. He managed to subdue him, but then the five bandits he had previously flown across the room were suddenly up and running towards him. Arthur and Gwaine seemed to have defeated their opponents, and were just in time to help Merlin out. While casting another spell, Merlin tried to figure out who their enemies were. They were well trained, and they were organized. Could they be the people Aldreda was worried about? It didn't matter, though. Even if they were, Merlin was sure they could defeat them. Reciting another spell, Merlin attacked them again, throwing lightning, fire and wind from his hands, managing to keep them all occupied.


	5. Chapter 5

It had rained the day before. But now, the sky was blue, the air was crisp, and the sun was shining gloriously over Camelot. It was a beautiful day to be alive, thought Gwen, as she walked down the hallway leading to Gaius' chambers. The Queen, gentle and beautiful as ever, had just left the Council chamber, after sitting through one of the longest meetings she had ever attended. But it was her duty as a Queen, and she was happy to do it. She passed by a window on her way through the hall, and the warm rays of the late afternoon sun brushed gently along her face. Gwen smiled, feeling a bit sad she had spent the better part of a beautiful sunny day like this stuck inside. Thankfully, that was her last meeting for the day, and she was now on her way to visit Gaius. She loved their little chats, and she especially needed them now, when her husband and many of her friends were away. Gwen put her hand on the little silver locket around her neck, a gift from her King. She missed him a lot, along with Merlin, Gwaine and all the other knights. "Only a few more days Gwen" she said to herself "and you'll see them all again."

She reached Gaius' chambers, and entered the room, looking around for her dear friend.

"Gaius? Sorry I'm late Gaius, but the meeting was…"

"Hurry Gwen" Gaius suddenly said, emerging from behind the door. His sudden appearance scared her, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Gwen, I need you to go and tell the servants to prepare the best horse in the King's stables. Tell them to pack blankets, a few water skins, and this. Be careful with this" said Gaius, handing her a brown leather bag "Please Gwen, it's important" he told her, as he saw her confused face "I'll explain it later Gwen, but go now, please."

Scared, confused, and not understanding what was going on, Gwen left the room, heading down the hallway. She saw two of her servants and told them what Gaius had told her. She then gave them the brown bag, telling them to be careful with it. The servants bowed to her, and ran off in the direction of the stables.

Gwen turned around, making her way back to Gaius's chambers.

"All right Gaius, I did as you asked. Now tell me, what's the matter?" she asked the old man, who was currently bent over his table, mixing some potions. "Gaius?"

Lifting his head, Gaius finally looked at her. He put the bottle he was holding down on the table, and then took out a piece of paper out of his pocket, which he handed to Gwen. Gwen reached for the piece of paper, her hands shaking as she started to read its contents.

"It's a letter, Gwen." he said, looking sadly at her "from Gwaine. He's on his way here, and I'm afraid it's bad. It's.."

"No" said Gwen, shock written on her face, the fear evident in her voice "Merlin."

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

They had been fighting for about ten minutes, and it didn't look like the fight was nearing its end. It didn't matter how many times Arthur, Gwaine and Merlin fought off their enemies. The men always got back to their feet, attacking again and again. Merlin continued fighting, casting more and more spells. And, was it his imagination, or were the men starting to get faster and stronger? Each new attack took more and more effort out of him. He had lasted in longer battles than this, fighting against a larger number of people without getting tired. And yet, he was feeling more and more worn out. His reactions were slower, and no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't get his spells to achieve their full potential. There was something blocking him, slowing him down… Of course! They must have put something in his cup, something he drank at the celebration. Arthur and Gwaine didn't seem different, so Merlin assumed they had only drugged his drink.

After ten more minutes, the fight was finally coming to an end. Two of the men were dead, another 4 were unconscious. Arthur and Gwaine were currently engaged, each one fighting against one of the men, and Merlin was left to deal with the last two. Eyes turning gold, he sent one of the men flying to his right. The men hit the wall with his head, which left him confused and disoriented. Merlin turned his eyes on the last enemy, the man who had previously avoided Merlin's attacks with ease. Before the man could strike him, Merlin recited a spell. The man was instantly paralyzed, standing in the middle of the hallway, not being able to move. Behind him, Arthur stabbed his enemy, and Gwaine was moments away from defeating his. It looked like they had won. In that moment however, the previously disoriented man finally found his balance again, and was now running in Gwaine's direction, axe held high in his hand. Arthur made a move towards Gwaine, but Merlin beat him to it, moving his hands in the man's direction, ready to cast a spell.

For the tiniest of moments, Merlin's mind went blank, and he lost his concentration. But then that moment passed, and the magic words slipped of his mouth. A small fireball shot out of Merlin's hand, hitting the axed man in the chest, effectively putting him down. "It's over" Merlin thought. For a second everything was all right…

And in the next second, he heard Arthur and Gwaine shouting his name. He saw them starting to run towards him. He wanted to ask what was wrong… But he never got the chance. Suddenly his side was burning, burning with a hot fire that soon spread to his entire body… Merlin fell to his knees, hearing footsteps and voices all around him. He recited a spell, a spell he had used before when he'd been hurt. The spell was supposed to help with the pain, even though Merlin didn't know what had caused it. But as soon as he said the last word of the spell, the opposite of what he had expected happened. Instead of disappearing, the pain returned with more ferocity than before. Crying out with pain, Merlin fell to the floor, completely passed out.

-_-_-Now-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"How is he, Arthur?"

"The same, I think" said Arthur, as he rose up to his feet. He had been sitting by Merlin's side for the last hour, and nothing had changed. Merlin was still asleep, but thankfully, he had not shown any signs of being in any pain or discomfort. He was simply asleep for the moment, and that was good.

"Did you find anything?" asked Arthur, looking at the knight before him. But it didn't look like the tall knight was registering Arthur at the moment, his eyes fixated on the sleeping warlock.

"Percival?" said Arthur, waving his hand in front of the knight's face.

"Oh, Sire, I'm sorry, I just…" said Percival, when he finally noticed Arthur. He was now blushing, with his head bowed slightly, apologizing to Arthur.

"It's all right, Percival." said Arthur, reassuring the nervous knight. "Now tell me, did you and the knights find anything?"

"No sire. We searched for a few hours. There was no sign of any bandits. We found some of our bags that we had left behind when we were attacked, but nothing more."

"Good. It means that the bandits who attacked us were not part of a bigger group, or someone would have followed them by now. Good job, Percival. You may go and rest now.'

"Thank you Sire" said the large knight. "Sire" he then asked, looking at Arthur "would you mind if I sit with Merlin for a while?"

Arthur looked at him. Percival's eyes were filled with sadness and worry, the same sadness and worry he had seen in Gwaine's and Leon's eyes. The same things that could probably be seen in his eyes as well. With a sad smile, he nodded.

"Of course, Percival. I'll go outside to have a word with the knights. Come and find me if there are any changes."

"Yes Sire" said Percival, and then he sat down next to Merlin. He opened the bag he was carrying on his shoulder, and took out a blanket. He removed the cloak that was covering Merlin's body, and covered him with the blanket. Arthur looked on, happy that his knights managed to retrieve some of their bags. He was sure a real blanket was much warmer than an ordinary cloak.

Leaving Merlin in Percival's company, Arthur walked out of the cave. Half of his knights were there, setting up camp, polishing their weapons, and nursing their wounds. No one had been seriously injured, just some cuts and bruises. Arthur was thankful for that. He approached one of the knights, Sir William, who was currently sitting on a rock, examining a map.

"Your Majesty" said Sir William, as soon as he saw Arthur, bowing his head.

"William" Arthur nodded back "What do we know?"

"Well Sire, we searched through these parts of the forest" said William, gesturing at the map "and as I'm sure Percival's already informed you, we didn't find anyone. Sir Leon and his group should be back from their patrol soon."

"Good job Sir William." said Arthur "Let's hope Leon has some good news as well."

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"…erlin! Can you hear me?" "He can't hear you Arthur…" "Where are those guards…we need to do something!" "…They're coming…"

"So many voices" thought Merlin, confused about the situation. He was aware that something important was happening, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. He knew he was laying on the floor… But why was he on the floor? He should try to get up… He tried, and suddenly there was pain. Exploding pain all over his body. Merlin tried to fight it, he could feel his magic attacking the pain, trying to make it go away… but it was too much… and the darkness was so welcoming…

"Gwaine, look!" yelled Arthur, when he saw Merlin's eyes opening slightly. His eyes were burning gold, and yet, Merlin seemed unfocused like he wasn't really awake "Merlin! Can you hear me?" he gently shook Merlin's shoulders, trying to wake him up, without causing him more pain.

"He can't hear you Arthur" said Gwaine. He was kneeling next to Arthur, who had now abandoned the task of trying to wake Merlin up. Gwaine looked at his friend's abdomen. Blood was pouring out of his wound, even though they had tried to stop the bleeding. Thankfully, a servant had passed through the hallway a few minutes ago, and said servant had immediately ran off to call the guards and bring back help.

Merlin was getting paler with every passing moment. His eyes were still slightly opened, but he seemed even more unfocused than before. Something had to be done soon, or else Merlin wasn't going to make it…

"Where are those guards!" yelled Gwaine, as he rose to his feet "We need to do something!" He was about to punch the wall in anger, when Arthur stopped him "Gwaine, listen. They're coming!"

A few moments later, a few guards, along with Leon, Percival, and some other knights came running down the hallway. They were followed by a men and a women dressed in dark grey robes. Arthur assumed they were the kingdom's official physicians. They kneeled next to Merlin, whose eyes were closed now. After a few moments spent examining the wound, the physicians gave each other a grave look. But before Gwaine or Arthur could say anything, the physicians rose to their feet.

"Go and prepare the potions, Kenelm" said the woman, speaking to the man. "I'll accompany our patient". Kenelm nodded, and then disappeared down the hallway.

"Guards, lift this man" ordered the woman "but gently, please, or you'll aggravate his wound even more."

A few guards lifted Merlin's body, and they started carrying him down the hallway. The woman followed behind, and Arthur and Gwaine walked beside her, asking her about their friend's condition.

"I won't know for certain until we check his wound properly." The woman answered them. They all continued walking down the hall, headed towards the physician's chambers. The only ones who stayed behind were Leon and Percival. They looked around the hallway, trying to figure out what had happened. There were ten men laying on the floor, some of them dead, and some unconscious. Most of them were a few meters away, but one of the men was closer. He was laying not far from where Merlin had been laying. The knights kneeled next to the man. He was dead, the two wounds in his back being the reason for his death. A small knife, covered in blood, was still clutched in his hand.

"He was the one who stabbed Merlin" said Percival, after he checked the other men's weapons. There wasn't any blood on any of them.

"Yes" nodded Leon "And then Arthur and Gwaine must have killed him". He bent over the man. All the men were dressed in dark green robes, but they had no sigils and no marks on their clothes. Nothing that could be used to identify them…

Leon saw something near the men's pocket. He took it, and lifted it higher, so Percival could see it as well. It was a small, purple, velvet pouch, with golden writing on it. It was written in runes, same as the runes Merlin's spells were written in.

"Well, we can't read it" said Leon, looking at the runes "but it's something."

"It's a lead" Percival continued "Hopefully, it will lead us to whoever it was that ordered the attack"

"Hopefully" said Leon, as he rose to his feet. He put the pouch in his pocket, and then turned to Percival "Come on. Most of them are unconscious. Let's tie them up, I'm sure Arthur will want to interrogate them later."

-_-_-Now-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Ah Leon, you're back" said Arthur, as he noticed Sir Leon walking in his direction. He glanced over to the returning group, who were now settling down around the campfire "Did you find anything?"

"Sire…" said Leon, as soon as he reached Arthur. "We searched the road, and the clearing where the four bandits attacked you and Merlin. With the exception of the four bandits, we didn't find anyone else."

"That's good news, Leon" Arthur interrupted him "It means that there aren't any more bandits following us."

"I'm afraid that's not all Sire." Leon continued, with a more solemn tone. "After we found nothing, we went back to check the bandits' bodies." Leon put his hand in his pocket, before continuing "I found this in one of the men's pockets."

He lifted a small object, and Arthur looked at it. His eyes widened in shock when he realized what it was. There, in Leon's hand, was a small, purple, velvet pouch.


	6. Chapter 6

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

How long had they been standing there? Arthur found himself asking this question, but he couldn't find an answer. Judging by the weak rays of sunshine, it was dawn, which meant that a few hours had passed since the attack. And yet it looked like only a few minutes had passed. The physicians were still working tirelessly, taking care of Merlin's wound. Arthur and his knights were left waiting outside the physician's chambers.

Arthur looked at his knights. Only Leon, Percival and Gwaine were there with him now. All the knights had been here before, but knowing that there wasn't anything they could do to help, they went back to their rooms. And now here they were, four of the greatest warriors the five kingdoms have ever seen. Helpless, waiting in front of a wooden door.

Arthur held the purple pouch in his hand. He hadn't opened it yet, preoccupied with his friend's wellbeing. He nervously played with it, throwing it in the air and catching it again, not really paying attention to it. He thought he was going to go crazy if they didn't open the door soon…

He was wrong, because no one opened the door for a long time, and yet Arthur managed to keep his sanity. After an hour or so more, the door finally opened, and the woman invited them in.

The four of them entered the room. They saw Merlin, lying in a small bed near the window. He was pale, and barely breathing. But his wound wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Your friend is a lucky man". Said the woman, addressing the knights "It's a miracle that the initial cut or the blood loss didn't kill him. We gave him some medicine, and we disinfected his wound. He's sleeping now."

"Thank you…"started Arthur, but he stopped when he realized he didn't know her name.

"Ella, my lord."

"Thank you, Ella." Said Arthur, slightly bowing to her, and to Kenelm, the other physician, who bowed back, before exiting the chambers. Arthur headed towards Merlin's bed, followed by the knights. He kneeled by the bed, looking at his friend with a small smile "So he's going to make a full recovery then?"

"Your Majesty… I'm afraid I've got some bad news" said Ella. At those words all the knights looked at her, with fear in their eyes.

"What do you mean, bad news? Isn't this bad enough?" shouted Gwaine. Arthur raised a hand to calm him down. He then looked at Ella and nodded, indicating that she should continue.

"We took care of the wound Sire." Ella continued "And then we examined the knife that your knights brought. It had your friend's blood on it… and something else." She paused for a bit, and looking at Merlin, she said. "The knife was laced with poison, Sire."

-_-_-Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Poison?"

"Yes Gwen, poison." Answered Gaius patiently. They were now sitting at the table, discussing the terrible news they had recently received. "That's what Gwaine's letter said.''

"But they know what poison it is? They've identified it?"

"Yes, it seems they have. Gwaine described it in his letter. Fortunately, I have the means and knowledge to make the cure. That bottle" he said, pointing to the potion he was preparing earlier "contains the first part of the cure. I need to leave it to cool down for an hour, and then I'll add the remaining ingredients".

The Queen looked at the small bottle. It contained a clear liquid in it, almost transparent like water, yet it had a slight golden glow to it. It reminded her of something, yet she couldn't quite remember what.

"What kind of poison is it, Gaius?" she asked, looking at him.

"The druids call it lærness. It can be translated as emptiness, or empty."

"Emptiness?"

"Yes. This poison won't harm those without magic, Gwen. It can only harm those who use magic. Once in the body, it attacks all of the magic, until none is left. That's why the Druids call it The Emptiness. To them, magic is a part of life, of nature. If someone were to take their magic away, they would feel a hole in their hearts. They would feel empty."

"That's horrible Gaius." said Gwen, taking her eyes of his face, and looking at the small bottle again. The golden glow of the liquid… it reminded her of magic, of course. Of Merlin's magic. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she composed herself, before addressing Gaius.

"So this poison, it takes away the magic. But if the person doesn't take the cure, what will happen to them? Will it kill them?"

"It's not lethal, no." answered Gaius, looking at Gwen "In most of the cases I've heard of, the people survived. They would suffer through a lot of pain, but if they lived through the pain, they would make a full recovery. Without their magic, of course. "

"So if Merlin doesn't take the antidote in time, he might still live?"

Gaius bowed his head. Gwen could barely see his eyes now, but she could see that they were full of tears. She gently took his hand in hers. "Gaius?"

He looked at her now. She was looking at him, with her warm brown eyes, full of hope. Should he lie to her, just to keep that hope alive?

"Merlin" he started, deciding to tell her the truth "is made of magic. It's a part of his body, his mind, and his soul. It's his essence."

"But Merlin's magic was taken form him before, Gaius!" shouted Gwen, letting go of her friend's hand. "Morgana took it away from him, didn't she, before the battle of Cammlan, and he lived…"

"It's different Gwen." continued Gaius with a sad voice. "When she did that, she attacked and cut off the link between Merlin and his magic, and he couldn't use it. And if she had done the same thing to any other magic user, they would never be able to use magic again. But for Merlin, it was different. She could never completely cut off Merlin's link to his magic, because he is magic. "

"No, Gaius, you can't mean… you can't, it's Merlin, he can't…" Gwen stammered, tears falling down her cheeks.

"This poison attacks the magic directly. It forces it away from the body. But Merlin's magic is a part of his very being. If his magic were to leave him completely, Merlin would surely die."

Gwen looked at Gaius. She was devastated…. She couldn't imagine how Gaius was feeling. The old man was sitting, his arms on the table, steady and composed as ever. But she could see the sadness, the pain and the suffering in his eyes. So she sat next to him, and hugged him, trying to comfort and reassure him as much as she could.

-_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"NO!"

"Calm down sire…"

"No Leon, I will not accept it. I will not leave Merlin to die."

Ella had just told them about the poison in Merlin's body. She told how it affected magic users, and how there was a great chance it would kill him. She told them there was an antidote, bit before they could get their hopes up, she told them they didn't have the necessary ingredients to make the cure. That information shattered the knights' hope, and it left them speechless. All of them, except Arthur. Arthur who was previously unusually calm about the whole situation. But upon hearing that his friend was dying, his anger rose up, and now he was shouting, while his friends tried to calm him down.

"There must be something you can do!"

"There is a potion to slower the effects of the poison" said Ella "It will also ease the pain. But that is all Sire, I am truly sorry…."

"You don't have the ingredients, but someone surely does!"

"These are very rare ingredients, Sire, and only a master physician can produce the cure…"

"Gaius" whispered Arthur to himself "What about our physician, Gaius? You've met him, do you think he'd be able to make the cure?"

"Gaius is one of the wisest men I have ever met, Sire" said Ella "I believe he knows how to make the cure. And it is possible that he has the needed ingredients, as they most often grow in the mountains surrounding Camelot…"

"It is settled then." Said Arthur "We're taking Merlin back to Camelot. Leon, inform the King and the Queen…"

"Sire, wait" snapped Ella, which surprised Arthur, as she had been nothing but calm and professional this entire time. Ella realized her mistake, and clearly ashamed, she bowed her head "I'm sorry Sire, I didn't mean, I apologise…"

"It's alright" Arthur said "I'm sorry I interrupted you. What did you want to say?"

"The poison is very strong, Sire. And from what I've heard, your friend is the most powerful magic user that has ever existed. It means that the poison will have a greater effect on him than on any other magic user. It will spread more quickly, and do more damage. I can make the potion that can slow down the effects of the poison… but he is wounded and weak. I fear that the journey will only damage his body more. He might survive the journey. But even if you make it to Camelot, and Gaius administers the cure…. The damage to his body might be too great, and the cure will have no effect.

"I see." Said Arthur, looking at the floor. No matter what he tried, it seemed that there was no way he could save Merlin. He looked at his knights. They all looked sad and defeated. Arthur wondered if they should concede and let Merlin die a peaceful death here, under the care of the physicians. But as soon as that thought entered his head, Arthur dismissed it. He looked at Merlin, who was now sleeping peacefully. He couldn't let him die. He had to try and save him. And if he failed… At least Merlin would die in Camelot, close to Gaius.

"I'm thankful for your help, Ella." Said the King, as he addressed the physician "And for your advice. I understand the risks, and I understand how dire the situation is. But I can't just leave him to die. He would never give up on me, even if the situation was truly without hope. He has proved that on multiple occasions."

Ella looked at Arthur, and then at the knights. She gave them a small smile, and she bowed to them. "Of course Sire, I understand. I'll go find Kenelm, and we'll start working on that potion."

"Thank you, Ella." Said Arthur. He turned and headed towards Merlin's bed, around which his knight were standing. "Leon, Percival, go and inform the rest of the knights of our decision. I'll go and inform the King and the Queen. And Gwaine" he said to the knight, who was now sitting on a small chair, next to his friend's bed "you stay with Merlin. Inform me if there are any changes." The knights nodded in agreement. Leon and Percival left, followed by Ella, who left to find Kenelm. Arthur lingered on for a few more moments, looking at his wounded friend. Then he turned around and left. As he headed down the corridor, he took out the small purple pouch and looked at it. He didn't know who was responsible for the attack. He only knew that this pouch was going to help him found out. And when he did, they would pay.

-_-_-Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"My suspicions have been confirmed" said Arthur, with a clear voice. He was now standing before the entrance to the cave, addressing his knights. "One of the men who attacked us on the road had this pouch in his possession. That means these people weren't ordinary bandits. They were working for the same person who ordered the attack in the palace. We defeated them now… but more may come."

He took a small pause, and the he continued "You know what these people are after. They have orders to kill Merlin, and they will not stop. They will attack again, but this time we'll be ready. Merlin has protected us countless time in the past. It's time we returned the favour."

He was happy to see that all of his knights nodded in agreement. Many of them hadn't accepted Merlin when they had first found out the truth. Over time, they saw how brave he truly was, and their opinion about him changed. They were now determined to keep him safe.

As Leon began to organize the knights in patrol groups, Arthur returned to the cave. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Merlin awake, and talking to Percival. Arthur studied Merlin's face. He was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His movements were slower than usual, and it was clear that the poison was tiring him out. But at least he was awake, and he didn't seem to be in much pain at the moment. Thankful for that, Arthur joined his two friends, determined to try and enjoy these few good moments. He knew well that they wouldn't last long.


	7. Chapter 7

_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"I hope you understand my decision, Your Majesties"

"Of course, Arthur" said Queen Ouida, her voice betraying her sadness. She and King Robert had been quietly listening to Arthur for the last ten minutes. They had known about the attack for several hours now. Shortly after it had happened, a servant woke up them up and informed them of what had happened. They dispatched their guards to search the entire castle for any more intruders, and they doubled their security. No more intruders had been found. The King had wanted to visit Merlin and talk to Arthur immediately, but the Queen disagreed. She thought that it would be better to leave Arthur alone, at least until Merlin was stable. So they waited, until finally, a few hours later, Arthur showed up, ready to talk to them.

"We will give you as much food, water, and medical supplies as you need." said the King. He stood up from his throne, and approached Arthur. "Do you want me to send some of my knights with you as well?"

"Thank you Robin, but I think it will only slow us down. I have enough knights as it is."

"Yes, you're right." agreed the King, the tone of his voice matching the sadness in his face "When are you leaving?"

"I'll need to consult your physicians first" answered Arthur "If it were up to me, I would leave immediately. But Merlin…" Arthur took a small pause after that. Suddenly his mind was filled with images of his friend getting stabbed, of him lying on the floor, bleeding out… He started to panic, and he found himself unable to go on. Suddenly a soft hand touched him gently on the shoulder. Arthur looked up, and he saw that the hand belonged to Queen Ouida. She and King Robert were now standing next to him, giving him reassuring looks.

"It's all right Arthur" said the Queen, giving him a small smile "Merlin is going to be all right."

"Yes, she's right" said the King, now talking with a more upbeat tone. "Our physicians are among the best in the land. They will take care of his wound, and prepare him for the long journey ahead. Besides, I believe Merlin to be a strong young man. I'm certain he will make a full recovery."

"Thank you" he said, looking at the Queen and the King, regaining his confident tone "You're right, I have to believe he will be alright."

"Exactly" said the Queen "Now Arthur, we have to ask. Do you know who those men who attacked you were?"

"One of my knights found this" said Arthur, and he took out the small purple pouch out of his pocket. "One of the man, the one who stabbed Merlin…" said Arthur, pausing slightly, trying to calm himself down. Even thinking about the man who hurt his friend made Arthur very angry. But he managed to calm down, and then he continued. "That man had this in his pocket."

"Well then, open it" said King Robin, curious to see what was inside.

Arthur opened the pouch, and he was surprised to see that it only contained one small item. Arthur took the item out and looked at it. It was a green gem. It reminded Arthur of one of the necklaces Morgana used to wear… back when everything was so different…

"It's an emerald" said Queen Ouida, snapping Arthur out of his thoughts.

"Why would they have an emerald with them? They were fast and well organized. If they were here to rob the palace, they would have been able to do so unnoticed" asked Arthur.

"Maybe they were working for someone else" started the Queen, looking at the emerald "it's a rare gem, found only in several places in the land, and it is very expensive. If they were working for someone, this might have been their payment."

"It is possible." said Arthur "I'll interrogate them and find out more. They are locked in your dungeons, I presume?"

"Yes, we locked them up, and we put our best guards in front of their cells." answered the Queen "We thought about interrogating them, but we decided to wait for you. We thought you might want to have the honour of doing that yourself."

"Thank you Ouida. You were right, I'll interrogate them myself. I'll take my head knight Leon with me, he has the most experience with that, and we'll find out what they know." said Arthur. The Queen nodded her head, giving her approval.

"It's just strange that someone would pay in emeralds." said the King, speaking for the first time since he saw the gem "it's usually used in jewellery, and given as a gift to loved ones. If this really was an organized attack, why would someone pay in emeralds? They are expensive, yes, but still… And that golden text on the pouch…" he paused, scratching his head "It's just all very strange. Can I borrow the emerald? And the pouch? I'd like to consult my advisors, they might know something about it"

"Good idea." said Arthur, as he handed the small purple pouch to King Robin "I'll go and find my head knight, we need to talk about the interrogation.

"Ask my guards if you need any help, Arthur."

"Thank you'' said Arthur. He bowed to the Majesties, to which they bowed back. He then turned around and exited the room.

_-_-Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was getting dark. The day was coming to an end. Gwaine had been riding all day, only stopping two times, when he felt that his horse needed to rest. He recalled how he met the young man, Ian, when he had first stopped to rest, and how scared Ian had been. And even though the situation was dire, Gwaine couldn't help but laugh when he remembered how shocked Ian was when Gwaine had asked to borrow his messenger bird. Apparently, Ian was really worried that something would happen to the bird. He had agreed, eventually. But the look of pure shock on his face still made Gwaine giggle.

According to Ian, the messenger bird was one of the best birds for the job. It could fly over big distances without slowing down. Gwaine hoped that Ian was right. Gaius would need time to make the cure. If he even had the needed ingredients… But Gwaine couldn't think about that. He had to stay positive.

At that moment Gwaine saw the silhouette of Camelot's castle in the distance. Not long now, and he would be there. The familiar sight sparked Gwaine's hopes once more, and he continued his way with even more determination.

_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Gwaine had been sitting next to Merlin's bed for about an hour now. Merlin still hadn't woken up. Ella and Kenelm, who were now working on the potion, had informed Gwaine that this was normal. Merlin had lost a lot of blood, and he needed time to rest. That completely true and reasonable information did nothing to calm Gwaine's nerves. He was getting more and more restless. He almost gave in to his anger and headed down to the dungeons to face their attackers. But Merlin might wake up any moment now. And Gwaine wanted to be here when that happened.

Not being able to sit still anymore, Gwaine got up. He walked to the other side of the room, where Kenelm and Ella were working. They were quiet, concentrated on doing their tasks, only talking when they wanted to confirm something. Gwaine wanted to ask them about their work, but he managed to stay silent, knowing that they needed their concentration. He just stood beside them, watching them work.

Not ten minutes later, Gwaine heard a noise across the room. He turned around and saw that the noise was coming from Merlin's bed. In an instant he was next to his friend.

"Hey Merlin." said Gwaine, with a soft voice "Can you hear me?"

"Gwaine?" asked Merlin. He slowly opened his eyes. After a few moments, he focused on Gwaine's face.

"Yeah mate, it's me" said Gwaine, with a smile on his face "how are you feeling?"

"Been better" muttered Merlin. He moved his hand next to his side. As soon as he touched his wound, he felt a huge amount of pain. He let out a pained groan. Gwaine's hands were immediately on his shoulders, trying to calm him down. After a few moments, the pain was manageable. Merlin opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them. He looked at Gwaine's worried face. The usually cheerful knight was now panicked and worried. Merlin gave him a small smile, trying to cheer him up.

"I guess standing up is out of the question, then?" he asked, looking at Gwaine.

Gwaine cracked a little smile. "You guessed right mate."

"You'll have to rest for a while" said the men who was standing behind Gwaine. Merlin looked at him, and the woman standing beside him. Realizing that he didn't know who they were, Kenelm quickly introduced himself. "I am Kenelm, and this is my friend and colleague, Ella. We are the court physicians."

"They patched up your wound, Merlin." said Gwaine.

"I see" said Merlin, looking at the physicians "Thank you for all you have done."

"It was our honour to help you, Emrys." said Ella. "We heard that you are a physician as well as a sorcerer?"

"Not one as good as you, but yes, I'm a physician." said Merlin. He then looked at his friend again. "What happened Gwaine? Where's Arthur?"

"He's fine, Merlin. You were the only one that got hurt. Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember something…" started Merlin, thinking about the attack. "I remember we were walking down the hallway, and that you two were teasing me. All of a sudden, those men appeared and they attacked us…"

"Is that all you remember?"

"No, no… I remember that we fought them. I remember feeling more and more tired, my movements were getting slower, and it was getting harder to concentrate…" Merlin suddenly recalled his previous realization "Gwaine, I was drugged! They must have put something in my drink."

"Yes, they might have" said Gwaine, trying to recall the attack as well. "Arthur and I didn't feel different, they must have only drugged you. I think they hadn't counted on me and Arthur being in that hallway with you, or they would have drugged us too."

"I suppose that's true." Merlin continued "I remember casting a paralyzing spell on one of them… then I saw one of the man heading towards you with an axe. I lost my concentration for a few moments, but then I stopped him… And then, the last thing I remember is looking at you and Arthur… And that's it. "

Gwaine was silent for a few moments. When he finally spoke, his voice was solemn "After you stopped the axed man, I looked at you. You were standing with your hand stretched towards me, a little tired, but satisfied. For a second there, I thought it was finished. But then I noticed the man behind you. He was paralyzed before, but now he was starting to move. He had a small knife in his hand. I tried to yell, to warn you, and Arthur must have realized the same thing, but we were too late… That coward stabbed you when you weren't looking at him. Arthur and I were there in a second, and we both stabbed him with our swords…. But it was too late."

"So, he was the one who stabbed me" said Merlin "That moment, when I lost my concentration… I must have lost my control over that paralyzing spell without even realizing it." Merlin looked at Gwaine inquisitively "So, did I pass out right after that?"

"Not… exactly" said Gwaine. He seemed hesitant to go on, but Merlin nodded his head, so Gwaine continued "You were down on your knees, trying to catch your breath. Arthur and I were kneeling next to you, trying to help in some way. You started reciting your spell, the one you cast when you broke your arm last year. I know that spell is supposed to help with the healing and lessen the pain, so I thought everything was going to be all right… but then something went wrong. Suddenly, you cried out with pain. You went completely limp, and you started falling towards the floor. Arthur and I caught you, so you wouldn't hit you head. We tried to wake you up but nothing worked. You were unconscious. Although, there were a few moments when your eyes were opened. They were gold, as if you were reciting a spell. You must have still been unconscious, because you didn't respond to our calls. "

"I see" said Merlin. He was now staring at a beautiful vase with blue flowers, at the opposite side of the room. Not really seeing the vase, his thoughts were on his last conscious moments before passing out. He was now remembering everything that had happened. He remembered how the pain multiplied when he tried using magic. Why did his magic react in that way? What was the reason?

"Why would my magic react like that?" he said, aloud this time. He looked at the physicians. "Do you have any theories?"

"Actually Emrys, we do." said Ella "We examined the knife you were stabbed with. I'm afraid it was laced with poison."

"Poison?" asked Merlin, shocked "I've been poisoned? Do you know what kind of poison it is?"

"We believe it's what the Druids calllærness" said Kenelm.

"Lærness?"said Merlin. His eyes suddenly opened wide, and he started shaking "no, no, how…"

"We're sorry, Emrys." said Ella, looking at Merlin "but you must calm down, you must think of your wound…"

But Merlin was not listening anymore. He had heard of that poison. He knew what it did to magic users. He and Gaius had theorized what it could do to him. It was not a particularly cheerful conversation, seeing as they had both agreed it would probably kill him. But even if he didn't die… a life without magic? Merlin experienced that once, and he never wanted to experience it again. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, and Merlin wanted to calm down, but he just couldn't stop shaking. He couldn't do this, he had to live, to protect Arthur, and Camelot…

And then Gwaine's hands were on his shoulders again. He heard Gwaine talking to him, trying to calm him down. He didn't know what Gwaine was saying, but somehow, his friend's presence was helping him. After a few minutes, and a few deep breaths, Merlin finally managed to calm down.

After he calmed down, he looked at Gwaine. His friend was giving him a reassuring look, even though Merlin could see he was really worried. "Sorry'' he said. "Thanks for that, Gwaine."

"No problem." said Gwaine, smiling at him "But don't worry. We have some good news as well."

"That's right" said Kenelm, eager to deliver the good news "We've started making a potion that will slow down the effects of the poison. It will also help with the pain."

"Yes" continued Ella "Unfortunately, we don't have the supplies needed to make the cure. King Arthur suggested that your physician, Gaius, might have the ingredients?"

"Yes, I think he might have them." said Merlin, thinking about the large number of supplies Gaius had in his storage "And he knows how to make the cure."

"Great!" said Gwaine, the smile on his face getting bigger now. "So" he said, as he looked at Ella and Kenelm "when will Merlin be able to leave?"

Ella and Kenelm exchanged worried looks, before Ella continued "Usually, when dealing with a stabbing wound, we recommend that the person stays in bed for at least a week. Fortunately" and she looked to Merlin "the wound isn't very deep."

"That's good. That means we can leave earlier" said Merlin. He tried to get up, but Gwaine's arm stopped him. He looked quizzically at Gwaine, who said "I don't think that means we can leave right now, mate."

"No, no, you absolutely can't leave now!" said Kenelm "You still need rest, Emrys."

"But if we are to journey to Camelot" started Merlin "we need to hurry. Gaius once told me that it takes the poison five days at the most to effectively spread through a person's body."

"That is true, yes. But that is when the affected person is left unattended." said Ella. "But as we mentioned before, we've started making a potion that will slow down the poison's effects. It will give you a few more days."

"All right." said Merlin, as he conceded to their will. He was actually feeling worn out, and the pain had increased. All he really wanted to do was sleep.

"You should rest" said Gwaine, after he noticed that Merlin was getting more tired with every passing moment. "I'll go and find the princess. He'll be here when you wake up later."

"Thanks Gwaine." said Merlin. He closed his eyes, and after a few moments, he was asleep.

_-_-Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After sitting with Gaius for a while, Gwen left his chambers. A servant had come to inform her that the council was meeting for an urgent meeting, something about one of the outer villages needing more protection. Their protection was important, and Gwen knew this. But in moments like these, when her friends were in trouble, she longed for her old life as Gwen, the servant. In many ways, life was easier back then. She had to work a lot, but her job wasn't that important. If there was a crisis, she could afford to forget her responsibilities for a while. But now, that was a luxury she simply didn't have. If Gwen, the Queen, ignored her responsibilities, many people in her kingdom would suffer. And she wasn't about to let that happen.

Still, as she sat at the meeting, she found it hard to not think about Merlin. She was frustrated that there wasn't much that she could to. They didn't know Merlin's and Arthur's location, meaning they couldn't send any help until Gwaine arrived. According to his letter, his plan was to come to Camelot, and leave as soon as possible with the cure. Apparently, he didn't take his own exhaustion into question at all. 'Typical Gwaine' thought Gwen, smiling sadly to herself.

It was already nighttime when the meeting finally ended. The Queen got up from her chair, spoke to a couple of council members for a few moments, and then exited the hall. She was headed towards Gaius' chambers, when she noticed one of the knights coming towards her.

"Queen Guinevere" he said, as he bowed to her "I've finished the preparations, as you ordered."

"Good job, Sir Thane." answered Gwen. You may go and rest now. But be ready to leave at my orders.

"Of course, my Lady." said Sir Thane. He bowed to her once more, and then continued on his way.

Gwen made her way to Gaius's chambers. "Everything has been taken care of, Gaius" she started talking, while she was opening the door "All we need now is…"

She stopped when she saw that Gaius wasn't alone. A handsome men with messy brown hair was standing beside the old man, talking to him.

"Gwaine?" asked Gwen.

The man in question gave her one of his dazzling smiles, as he approached her "You called?" he said, before he gave the Queen a strong hug.


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin was now sitting up, leaning against the cave's wall. He felt relatively good. The pain in his side wasn't hurting much. He felt very tired… but he supposed that was to be expected. He'd woken up a few minutes ago, and he was talking to Percival at the moment. It was then that Arthur showed up. A smile appeared on Arthur's tired face, and he headed in their direction.

"How are you Merlin?" said Arthur, as he sat down next his friend.

"Good, actually." said Merlin, a bit surprised himself. "Better than the last time I woke up."

"I'm glad." said Arthur. The smile on his face was a small and sad one, but it was a smile none the less. Merlin was glad to see Arthur smile again. He turned his head to Percival. He was also smiling and looking at him. Merlin could see through their smiles. 'They seem worried' he thought 'Was I really in such a bad state?' Of course, the answer to that was yes. He knew how serious his condition was. He knew that he didn't have a lot of time, even before they were attacked on the road. And now, after he had used magic again… The poison would only spread faster through his body. In a way, Merlin had accepted the possibility that his friends wouldn't be able to save him. He wasn't ready to give up yet, but he knew that death was a very possible outcome. He had decided he wouldn't talk about that. The looks on his friends' faces were enough to tell him how worried they were. Merlin didn't want to worry them even more. They were doing their best. The least he could do was give them hope.

"So Arthur, have you found anything?" the Warlock asked the King "Percival told me that the patrol groups you had sent out have already returned."

"That's true." said Arthur "And the good news is that they didn't find any more attackers in the area. The bad news are that we found this".

He took the small pouch out of his pocket and gave it to Merlin. Merlin looked at it. His hope reached a new low level as he realized what this meant. "They were working with the people who attacked us in the palace?"

"Exactly" said Arthur. "Which means that the person who orders these attacks has a lot of money at their disposal. These" he said, and he gestured towards the emerald that Merlin had just taken out of the pouch "are not cheap. Whoever this person is, they can afford to give away more than one of these. That means they will keep hiring members of the 'Peaceful Society' until the job is done."

"What do we do then?" asked Merlin. He couldn't help but sound miserable. He and his friends were being hunted, and the reason for that was him. Maybe if he surrendered…

"Well first off, we'll get those thoughts of you surrendering yourself out of your head" said Arthur, looking straight at Merlin's eyes. Merlin was surprised. He knew Arthur was familiar with his way of thinking, but to guess his thoughts so precisely? It was a bit shocking, really.

"Don't be so surprised, you idiot" said Arthur, trying to sound stern and commanding. He didn't succeed at that, because Merlin's shocked face was hard not to laugh at. "We all know how quick you are to sacrifice yourself for others" he continued, this time with a more compassionate tone. "But I assure you Merlin, we will fight this."

"All right then, Sire, what's your plan?"

"Well" Arthur started "the first two times they caught us by surprise. This time, we'll be ready." He took out a map out of the bag he was carrying on his shoulder, and he opened it up in front of them.

"The cave we are in is here" he said, pointing to a location on the map. "The road is not too far, but it isn't too close either. Leon is currently dividing the knights in small patrol groups. Some of them will position themselves at strategic points from where they can have a clear view on the road. Others will patrol the nearby area, and they will alert us if they notice anything strange."

"That's good." Merlin agreed "But won't they know you'll be expecting them? Don't you think they will be back in larger numbers?"

"Yes, they might." said Arthur "but even if they do, their numbers won't be too great. Think about it. The first time they attacked us, there were 10 of them. The second time, 20. I had expected them to send much more than 20, but they didn't. I think that the 'Society' itself needs time to find members to replace the ones they lose. So even if they come, their numbers won't surpass our numbers by much."

"Are you sure about this, Arthur?"

"Merlin, may I remind you that I am the King of Camelot? Top strategist and warrior? If anyone here knows battle strategies, it certainly isn't you. And besides" he said, and he smiled at Percival "we have the best fighters in the land. One of the best is sitting with us right now."

Merlin looked at Percival, who smiled reassuredly at him. "I guess you're right Arthur."

"I'm hurt you ever doubted me, Merlin." said Arthur. "Come Percival" he then said, standing up "I need you and Leon to tell me the best positions from where we can keep an eye on the road.''

"Yes Sire." Said Percival as he stood up "See you later Merlin."

"All right Percival." answered Merlin. He then addressed Arthur "Will I be enjoying your royal company some more Sire? Or will I be left to wonder what to do with my free time when I don't have to serve you?"

"Don't despair yet, Merlin" said Arthur, happy that Merlin was turning the conversation into their familiar banter "I'll be back in a few moments."

Together with Percival, he headed out of the cave. He gestured Leon, and as soon as the he saw them, Leon started walking in their direction.

"Do you truly believe it Sire?" asked Percival, as they waited for Leon to arrive "What you said to Merlin? Do you truly believe that they won't come in great numbers?"

"What I believe isn't important, Percival." said Arthur, in his usual confident tone. "I may be right, and I may be wrong. The important thing is that Merlin has hope. Guinevere once told me that hope can give you amounts of strength you never knew you possessed. So have hope, Percival."

Percival gave a small nod at that. Leon joined them in that moment, and they started making plans how to best defend themselves.

_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur had been talking to Leon for the past hour. They were getting ready to interrogate the prisoners. Five of the prisoners had been killed, which meant they had five more to interrogate. Leon proposed couple of interrogation strategies. Arthur trusted him, and agreed to Leon's suggestions. They were now in the dungeons, about to enter the first cell.

"Ready Leon?"

"Yes Sire." answered Leon. He opened the door to the cell and entered it, Arthur following behind him. The man inside was chained to the wall, sitting in the corner. He was a muscly men, in his thirties. Arthur thought he was one of the men Merlin threw to the wall with his magic. If he was right, this man had been left unconscious at the beginning of the battle. He seemed like a man who loved to fight. Arthur was sure that the look of contempt that was currently on the man's face was in part because he got knocked out so early in the battle.

"Tell us." said Leon, in a stern cold voice, so different from his usual soft voice. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"And why would I tell you?" said the man.

"We want to know why you attacked us. If you tell us, maybe we can talk about lessening your punishment." said Arthur.

The man laughed. His laugh was the opposite of a happy, joyful laugh. He was mocking them, showing his contempt for them "I would never tell you, 'King' Arthur of Camelot. You don't deserve to know."

"If he doesn't maybe I do?" said Leon. Leon heard the way this man pronounced the word King. He said it with hate and disgust. Maybe this man hated royalty? If that were true, maybe he could win him over by pretending he hated royalty too.

"And who are you supposed to be?" said the man.

"I'm just one of his knights. A simple soldier, like you. Tell me, we don't have to tell him."

"You're as bad as he is, soldier!" shouted the man "You and all of them! Knights of Camelot! Aligning yourself with traitors and killers. And you" said the man, speaking to Arthur once more "You're the worst of them all!"

"Why is he so bad? Because he's royalty?"

"Exactly!" shouted the man "He's royalty! He should be better than you, ordinary soldiers! Instead, he sides with murderers, protecting them and their rotten blood. You bring shame on all of us. On me, my brethren who once believed in you, and most of all, you father. Your father was a great ruler, but you? You don't deserve his name, boy."

'So that's his game' thought Leon. At that moment he saw Arthur's cold murderous look directed straight at the prisoner. He had seen this look on Arthur's face before. He knew that if he didn't react, Arthur would strangle this man out of anger. And even though Leon felt no sympathy for the prisoner, he knew that they may need him again later. So he turned to Arthur and said "Come on Sire, we need to leave, now."

He took a few steps before realizing that Arthur hadn't moved. He turned around. Arthur was still in the same position, looking at the man with hatred. The prisoner was now shouting insults at Arthur, calling him a coward, a traitor, an unworthy man. Arthur listened for a few more moments. Then he approached the man, slowly. The large, muscly man suddenly stopped, scared of the much smaller man in front of him. Arthur stopped directly in front of him. Then he spoke. He didn't shout, and he didn't yell insults and threats at the man, as Leon expected he would. Instead, he quietly, and calmly addressed the man.

"You're lucky he survived. If he dies, you will suffer more than you ever thought was possible." It was a simple threat. And yet it was delivered in such a way, that even Leon believed it. It sent chills down his back, even if it wasn't directed at him. Arthur then turned around and walked out of the cell. Leon looked at the prisoner. All of his arrogance was now gone. All that was left was fear. Leon then got out of the cell, and locked the door behind him.

_-_-Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Gwaine, you're here!" said Gwen as they ended their hug. "How did you get here so fast? We didn't expect you until tomorrow!"

"I have my ways, lovely Gwen." he answered, smiling with his devilish grin.

"No one doubts that, Sir Gwaine." said Gaius, his infamous lifted eyebrow making a reappearance.

Gwaine turned to look at him. And at that moment, his smile was gone. There was work to be done.

"You received my letter, then? Were you able to produce the cure?"

"Indeed" he pointed at the small bottle on the table. "No Gwaine!" he suddenly shouted, as Gwaine tried to pick up the bottle. "We must leave it for at a few more hours. The final stage of the preparation is simply waiting. It must not be moved, for even the slightest disturbance and movement will cause the chemicals to react in different ways, and the potion will be useless. So don't touch it."

"Gaius, is it really essential?" said Gwaine impatiently "Time is something we don't have, and Merlin is getting worse as we speak…"

"Do you think I don't know that!" shouted Gaius. It surprised both Gwaine and Guinevere, as they had rarely seen Gaius angry. Annoyed, almost always, but angry? Almost never. Gaius continued shouting, and Gwaine immediately regretted ever saying something.

"I know time is of the essence, Sir Gwaine! I know how powerful this poison is! And I especially know how much more it's hurting Merlin." He stopped talking then. His serous eyes were now filled with tears. All of the pain that he felt, that stemmed from not knowing if his Merlin was going to be all right, was now showing on his face. He took a few moments to regain his composure, before he continued, without yelling this time.

"I know all the facts. And yet, one of those facts tells me that I have to wait for the cure to be ready. So I will wait. That is all I can do."

After saying that, he sat on the bench and put his hands on the table. He rested his face in his hand, and the room was completely silent for a few moments.

"I'm sorry Gaius. I truly am" said Gwaine, as he looked downwards. His voice was betraying the shame and regret that he felt "I was just worried about Merlin. But I shouldn't have forgotten that I'm not the only one who's worried."

"You shouldn't have." said Gaius, lifting his head from his hands "But it's all right. I understand why you did it. Now come and sit. The potion won't be ready for a few more hours, so you might as well rest."

"I guess you're right, Gaius" said Gwaine in a more relaxed tone, as he sat on the bench opposite Gaius. Gwen left the room for a few moments. When she returned, she told them "I told a servant to bring some food and water for you, Gwaine. You must be exhausted. This will help to replenish your energy."

"Thank you Gwen, but I don't believe I could eat anything."

"I also ordered to servant to bring some mead."

"Ah, well" said Gwaine, smiling at the Queen. "In that case, it would be rude, and above all, disrespectful, to decline such an offer. Thank you, My Lady."

"You're welcome, Sir Gwaine." said Gwen, smiling back at him "Now," she continued, sitting down on the bench next to him "your letter was very short. Tell us everything that happened."

_-_-What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Leon met Arthur outside the cell. Arthur still had a cold and stern look, and Leon was hesitant about talking to him.

"What do you think Leon?" said Arthur, solving Leon's problem of whether or not he should start speaking "I have some theories, but I'd like to hear yours first."

"Well Sire" started Leon "at first I thought he was just a simple mercenary who was hired to kill Merlin. I thought he had no real reason to hate Merlin, that he was just doing it for the money, and I assumed he was rude to you because he hated royalty. But then, when he started shouting… I realized what it was."

"You think he hates magic" stated Arthur.

"Exactly. I think he doesn't hate Merlin personally, but he hates his magic. I think he's glad he was hired for this job. And I think, contrary to my initial belief, that he actually has a high regard for royalty. He said it himself Sire. He thinks you, as royalty are naturally better than the rest. And then when he compared you to your father… It's clear he thinks you are a traitor to the late King Uther, because you sided with Merlin, and therefore all sorcerers."

"Right then." said Arthur "We have four more prisoners, Leon. What is your strategy for them?"

"Well, he mentioned his brethren. He said you bring shame to all of them, and that they once believed in you. I think we can assume that these 'brethren' he was refering to are the other members of this group. And if that's true, we can use these information on the other prisoners. Their hatred for magic, and their respect for royalty… we can use these things in our favour."

"All right. So, who are we interrogating next?" asked Arthur.

"If you permit Sire, I think it's better if I go in alone." Before Arthur could start arguing, Leon quickly explained "It's not that I doubt your interrogating skills, Sire. I personally know how convincing you can be. But it seems that these men know who you are. They know your face. And if they all hold the same beliefs, it is likely that they will consider you a traitor, and will tell us nothing. But If I go in alone, they won't know who I am. I think that will be our advantage."

"All right Leon, we'll try it your way." said Arthur. "I trust you."

"Thank you Sire." said Leon. He then turned around, and went to the last cell, the one furthest away from the one they were just in. When Arthur gave him a questioning look, Leon explained "The prisoner in the first cell was shouting pretty loudly. These walls are thick, but it is possible one of the prisoners in the cells closer to that one heard a part of our conversation. I just want to make sure that the prisoner I'm talking to knows nothing about who I am."

"Good thinking Leon" said Arthur "Good luck in there."

Leon just nodded his head, before entering the cell in front of him.


	9. Chapter 9

_-_-_-_-_What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sir Leon entered the cell, closing the door behind him. Arthur stood outside, quiet, curious to see if Leon's plan worked.

Leon approached the prisoner. He was a tall, lean man, with bruises and scars all over his arms. He had short dirty blond hair, and bright green eyes. He was currently staring at Leon. Even though he was trying to appear tough, Leon could see the fear in his eyes.

Before he could say anything, the prisoner addressed him "Did King Arthur send you to torture me? "

"What makes you think that?" answered Leon.

"Our leader told us about the Mighty King Arthur. How he consorted with them magic folk, choosing them over us. And now that they've killed his filthy court sorcerer, he will try and torture us."

It took a lot of self control not to show the anger he felt when the prisoner spoke about Merlin in that manner. But Leon was a disciplined man, and he knew what he was doing. With his most nonchalant voice, he answered.

"I don't know what King Arthur is planning. I'm not one of his men. I'm one of King Robin's guards."

"So you're as bad as King Robin then. He and the Queen want magic back in our kingdom, don't they?"

"I don't like magic. I think it should stay out of our lives."

"So you don't support the King and the Queen?" asked the prisoner, with a surprised tone.

"Look" said Leon. He kneeled next to the chained prisoner, and looked directly at him "I'll tell you something, but you mustn't mention it in front of any other guards the come in after me. If you do, I will have you tortured."

"I will happily endure torture for our cause. I believe that magic is evil, and you won't change my mind."

"Well then, you'll want to hear this." said Leon, lowering his voice to a whisper "King Robin gave me a special task. I know you think he supports magic. He wants everyone, including King Arthur to think that. He wanted to invite him here, so he can imprison his sorcerer. He was only putting on an act."

"Why should I trust you?" asked the prisoner.

"You don't have to trust me. The king sent me here, because he wanted to know who ordered the attack on the sorcerer. He wants to know if you're willing to join him in his mission."

"What mission?"

Leon looked around for a moment, as if checking if anyone was listening. Leaning closer to the prisoner, he continued "King Robin plans to attack Camelot. He wants to destroy magic, and he is secretly gathering his allies. He sent me here to find out what you goal is. If you attacked the sorcerer because you hate magic, he would offer you to join him. If on the other hand, you infiltrated the castle with the intent to hurt him, or his family, you are as good as dead."

"No!" yelled the prisoner "We are all against magic! If his Majesty is truly a supporter of our cause, we will happily join him!"

"Yes, so you say" said Leon "But how could I know you are telling the truth? You could just be saying what I want to hear, so you can go and kill the King later. "

"I swear, you have to believe me!"

"I want to believe you" said Leon "But I am loyal to King Robin. He gave me permission to torture you, and I will do it if I have to…"

"No, wait! Wait!" yelled the prisoner ''I can tell you who sent us! I can tell you everything!"

"Are you sure? Can you swear you are telling the truth?"

"Yes, yes, I am! And tell the King I am his loyal servant in the fight against magic."

"If you give me the information I seek, I will tell him that." said Leon "Now, tell me. Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"We are a secret organization. We call ourselves the 'Peaceful Society'."

-_-_-_-_-_Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

A few hours had passed after Gwaine had arrived in Camelot. He was well rested now, thanks to Guinevere. She made him eat and drink, and she even insisted on him taking a nap. Even though he had protested, Gwaine had to admit to himself that he had needed the rest.

He was now sitting with Guinevere in her chamber. They were bent over a map, and Gwaine was explaining to her exactly where their camp was.

"All right Gwaine. It's all set then." Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, my queen. Although" paused Gwaine for a moment "I still don't think it's necessary for Thane and Alan to come with me."

"Of course it is. You are still not rested enough, and you might get ambushed on your way back. Besides, Arthur needs all the help he can get. I can't send more than two people with you, because you might get noticed. But you will take Sir Alan and Sir Thane with you."

"All right, all right" said Gwaine "Lovely Gwen, you are as formidable as you are beautiful."

"Thank you Gwaine." Said Gwen, smiling at the compliment. After a few moments, she looked at her friend.

"Gwaine?"

"Yes Gwen?"

"Do you think that Merlin will be all right?" Gwen asked him, a few tears forming in her eyes.

"Our mate Merlin is the strongest man I know, Gwen." said Gwaine, reassuring her "Besides, your husband is with him. And you know how stubborn he is."

"You're right about that." said Gwen, smiling again. "Shall we go over the plan one more time, while we wait?"

"Good idea" said Gwaine. They talked about their plan for a few more minutes, until they heard a few knocks on the door.

"Enter" said Gwen. The door opened and a middle aged woman entered "Your Majesty, Gaius sent me. He said that the potion is ready."

-_-_-_-_-_What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur knocked on the wooden door in front of him. His thoughts were still on what Leon had found out from the prisoner. He was proud of his knight, and of the clever way in which he had extracted the information from the prisoner. He was also feeling scared. Scared of what he had found out. And scared about how Merlin was going to react to the news.

He hadn't seen Merlin since he found out he had been poisoned. Gwaine had told Arthur about how Merlin had reacted when they had told him about the poison. Arthur was worried that the new information was going to be too much for Merlin.

Arthur heard footsteps, and a few seconds later, the wooden door in front of him opened. The physician, Kenelm, welcomed him inside.

"Good day, your Majesty."

"Good day, Kenelm. How is he?"

"He's… as well as could be expected, your Majesty. He was awake before, when Sir Gwaine was here. He's been asleep since, although I think he'll wake up soon. You're welcome to sit next to his bed if you like."

"Thank you." Arthur said down on a wooden chair next to Merlin's bed. Merlin was sleeping, unaware of what was going on around him.

"Can I bring you something your Majesty? If you permit it, I would like to go and help Ella with the potion for Merlin, Sire."

"Yes, of course Kenelm. Thank you for everything you are doing for Merlin. You and Ella."

"No need to thank us, you Majesty. It is our duty, as well as our Honour. We will do everything we can."

Kenelm left the room, leaving Arthur alone with Merlin. Arthur sat there for some time, waiting for Merlin to wake up. He hoped that his friend was going to be all right.

Finally, Merlin woke up. He was confused when he woke up. "Arthur?" he asked when he saw Arthur's face "What, where..?"

"Do you remember what happened?"

Merlin was confused for a few moments. Than it all came to him. The attack, the fight, what he found out after he had woken up…. It crushed his spirit all over again. He looked at Arthur, trying to look composed and calm, and knowing he was failing miserably at that.

"Did they tell you?"

"Yes, they did." said Arthur, looking away from Merlin. "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, Merlin, I should have been."

"It's all right Arthur, Gwaine told me where you were." said Merlin. He wasn't upset with Arthur. He was, however angry at the people who attacked them. They did this to him, and they could have hurt his friends. He had to find out who they were.

"Did you find out anything?"

"Yes, we did. Leon tricked one of the prisoners, and he told us everything."

"Well?"

Arthur looked questioningly at his friend. Merlin was pale, and tired. He could barely move without hurting his wound. Arthur wasn't sure if he should tell Merlin what he had found out. It might upset Merlin, and that might make his condition worse.

Merlin saw the way Arthur looked at him. He knew why Arthur was hesitating.

"Arthur. Please, tell me. I'll be all right."

Arthur hesitated for a few more moments, throwing worried looks in Merlin's direction. But Merlin deserved to know.

"The men who attacked us" Arthur started "are a part of an organization that is against magic. They call themselves the 'Peaceful Society'. They believe they are fighting for the peace of all the kingdoms. They believe the only way that peace can be achieved is if magic is destroyed."

Merlin nodded at this. "I've fought so many battles against people who hate magic. And yet, there are always more battles to be fought." His eyes became teary, and he closed them for a few seconds, trying to compose himself. When he opened them, he had regained some of his composure. Arthur was looking at him, with worry and fear in his eyes. 'Fear for him', Merlin realized. It reminded Merlin of that awful moment, when he had told Arthur about his magic. Then Arthur had looked at him with fear in his eyes, fear from him. It was one of the most terrible moments in Merlin's life. It was comforting, to see Arthur worried and with fear for him, and not fear from him.

"Merlin" said Arthur then, the worry evident in his voice as well "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything…"

"No Arthur" said Merlin, his voice calm now "I'm all right. Please, continue."

"Are you sure? I can come back later…"

"It's all right Arthur. Please, go on."

Arthur looked at him in silence for a few more moments, but then he continued "The group that attacked us tonight had 10 people, but the society itself is bigger. The prisoner didn't specify how many members are there, but from the way he described the organization of the society, the numbers are somewhere around one hundred. There are some fighters in the society, but most of the members aren't fighters. When they need more fighters for a certain mission, they hire mercenaries."

"So then" said Merlin "did the prisoner say where their leader is?"

"Actually, we have their leader in our dungeons" answered Arthur "Or, one of their leaders at least. Apparently, they have five members of the highest rank, and they serve as co-leaders together. We actually tried to interrogate the leader first, but… he wasn't the most cooperative person. The other prisoner, on the other hand, was very helpful. He's one of their lower ranking members, so he didn't know everything. But he did know that this attack wasn't originally planned by the Society. Someone else hired them to do the job."

"Someone else?" asked Merlin "Who?"

"We don't know that, yet, unfortunately. But we did found something on one of the prisoners. We found a small pouch, with an emerald in it. King Robin has it now, but he'll return it to me later, and I'll show it to you."

"An emerald… that's peculiar." said Merlin

"That's exactly what Robin said." continued Arthur "Anyway, Leon is working on an interrogation plan, and we'll soon interrogate the other prisoners as well. I'm sure we'll know more soon."

"Yes… That's good." said Merlin, absent mindedly. He was lost in thought, and seemed to forget that Arthur was there with him.

"Merlin?" asked Arthur "Are you all right?"

Merlin just nodded his head. The room was silent for some time after that. Merlin seemed concentrated on a spot on the ceiling, and didn't show any interest in making conversation. Arthur wanted to ask if there was anything he could do, but he didn't want to bother Merlin. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Arthur, Merlin spoke to him.

"Arthur" he started "Do you have any idea who ordered the attack?"

"I'm afraid I don't. But we will find out something soon, I am sure of it…"

"Yes, soon. Maybe." said Merlin, cutting him off "But for now, we know so little. And the poison will spread, and it will affect me, and I won't be able to help…"

"Merlin, don't…"

"I'm sorry, Arthur, I just…" said Merlin, gasping when his wound caused him pain. He waited a few moments for the pain to pass, and then he continued "There have been many difficult situations. But almost always, I've had my magic to help me. And even in those few times I couldn't rely on my magic, at least I wasn't hurt… Now, I can't do anything."

Arthur almost started protesting again, but he managed to stop himself in time. He could see that Merlin wanted to say something. Arthur could remember at least a few times when Merlin had been there for him. Merlin had listened, and Arthur would return that favour now. So Arthur sat there, and waited until Merlin was ready to talk again.

Merlin was struggling. So many emotions and thoughts were battling inside him, and he didn't know which one to feel or express first. He looked at Arthur. His friend was sitting there, patiently waiting for him, a supportive look in his eyes.

"I'm scared Arthur… I'm scared that I'll fail my destiny. All that we are meant to do together… I won't be here. I won't be able to protect you, Gaius, Gwen, the Knights, and even Camelot. I'm afraid… I'm afraid of dying."

Arthur continued looking at him, patiently listening to him.

"I know it's silly. You know what I've been through. You know that I've been ready to die for you, or my mother, or Gaius, in the past…. And it's silly that I am afraid of death now, when I've already faced death several times."

"Merlin, listen" said Arthur then "First of all, your fear isn't silly. I fear death every time I go into battle. And you know I've faced death many times. But I continue fighting. And when I am too afraid, you, or Gwen are always there to give me courage."

"And so Merlin, you idiot" said Arthur, smiling a bit "don't forget. We are going to fight them. We'll save you, and you'll go back to cleaning my boots with magic in no time."

Merlin smiled at this. And even though his smile was a mere ghost of Merlin's usual cheeky grin, Arthur was satisfied with it.

"Thanks Arthur. Who knew that a dollophead like you could be so wise."

"I knew that Merlin. And I've been telling you for years, you should know that by now." said Arthur, smiling as he stood up. "I'm going to leave now, because you need your rest. I'll be back soon, and you can babble on again then, if you want."

"Prat." said Merlin, his eyes slowly closing. Arthur watched as his friend fell asleep with a smile on his face. He was happy he could make his friend smile. He hoped he would have that opportunity for many more years to come.

-_-_-_-_-_Now_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After talking with Leon and Percival, Arthur walked back to the cave. He wanted to talk to Merlin. The last time they had really talked was before the attack on the road. And that was two days ago. He walked to Merlin, who was currently lost in thought.

"Don't think too much, Merlin" said Arthur, using the same joke Merlin had once told him a few years ago "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"There really are no limits to you wit, Arthur." answered Merlin, as a small smile formed on his lips.

"Well, of course." Said Arthur, as he sat down next to his friend. "Merlin" he said then, his voice completely lacking the joking tone it had only moments ago "how are you?"

"I feel fine, Arthur, I told you the same thing when you were here before, with Percival…"

"No, I know that." Arthur topped him "I know that you feel fine at the moment, physically. And I'm glad. What I meant was, how are you?"

"Are you asking me about my feelings Arthur?" said Merlin surprised "what's next? Are you going to start reading me your poems?"

"Merlin" said Arthur, slightly annoyed, but still patient "I'm serious. The situation is serious, and you know it. And I know you know it too, so stop pretending that you don't know that I know it as well."

"So eloquently put, Arthur. And yet, you still ask me to write your speeches."

"Merlin…"

"I know, Arthur" said Merlin. He had raised his hand to stop the annoyed Arthur from saying anything else. Merlin's face was now serious, the smile gone from his face. He then continued, his tone now calm, with no traces of humor in it.

"I know what you meant when you asked how I was, Arthur. I know the situation is serious. And I appreciate you asking Arthur. I really do. It's just…"

"I know" said Arthur then "It's easier to just call you an idiot, believe me."

"Yes, I suppose it is" said Merlin. There was silence for a few moments, before Merlin spoke again.

"I meant what I said, you know. That I was fine. And I didn't just mean physically."

After getting a puzzled face for an answer, Merlin continued "The wound hurts, and I'm tired. I don't feel that bad at the moment, but I know it's only going to get worse. Even though I know that, I feel calm."

Arthur looked sadly at Merlin for a few seconds, before opening his bag. He searched through it, and took out the crystal bottle. The small amount of precious liquid that was in it shined from the light of the fire.

"I didn't want to show you this." said Arthur, looking at the bottle in his hand. "I didn't want you to lose hope, so I contemplated lying to you. But I couldn't. This is all we have, Merlin."

He then put the bottle in Merlin's hand. "I'm sorry."

Merlin looked at the bottle for a few moments. Arthur looked at his friend's face. He expected Merlin to be sad, scared, or even angry. The one thing he didn't expect was to see Merlin smile.

"Thank you, Arthur." said Merlin as he looked in Arthur's eyes. "There have been enough lies between us. Most of them told by me." He stopped for a bit after this, feeling a small amount of guilt and shame. "So I thank you for telling the truth."

"Aren't you worried Merlin?" asked Arthur. He was shocked at how calm his friend was. "I thought you would react differently."

"Yes." said Merlin, nodding his head "This bottle is all we have left. And there isn't much left. And I am worried, of course. But I'm not afraid."

"You're not?"

"I know the chances of surviving this are small, Arthur. And even though I panicked when I found out, I've had time to think about everything. I don't want you risking everything for me, in some foolish attempt to rescue me, as I know you would."

"No Merlin" started Arthur, nervous and angry "You're not going to do this..."

"Arthur…"

"No!" yelled Arthur, who was now standing up "I won't let you give up, we will…"

"Arthur!" yelled Merlin then, his hand raised again "I never said I was giving up."

"Yes, and… what?"

"Sit down, please, and let me finish what I have to say."

The nervous king sat down again, waiting for his friend to explain himself. After making sure that Arthur was going to keep quiet, Merlin continued.

"I am calm, Arthur, because I've accepted that there is a possibility that I might die. The wound hasn't completely healed, and I'm weakened by the blood loss. I've used magic, and that has caused the already strong poison to move more quickly. And even if those things hadn't happened, we know that the poison has a much greater effect on me because of my strong magic." He looked at the small bottle in his hand now "There is barely anything left. You'll have to use it again soon, I'm sure of that. And then we'll have no more left. The enemy could send more soldiers any moment now, and we may not be able to defeat them."

"Why are you saying this Merlin?" asked Arthur, his voice now quiet, almost a whisper.

"I'm saying this because I have to." answered Merlin, his voice strong and confident "I'm saying this because we have to face the facts. I'm saying this…" and now his voice changed to a more gentle tone "Because you know this to be true. And I'm afraid you'll ignore the facts and do something stupid just to try and save me."

Before Arthur could say anything, Merlin continued "I know you would do that Arthur. I would probably do the same." He sighed, before continuing.

"I haven't given up Arthur. I want to live, and I will not give up until my dying breath. And I know that you and the knights want to help me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am. I won't ask you to stop trying to help me. I will only ask you to think logically and not risk everything for me. If a moment comes, when you know that there is nothing more you can do for me… If that moment comes, accept it, and save everyone else."

"I won't give up."

"I know you won't Arthur. But please, think about what I said."

"I promise." said Arthur, his voice quiet and serious "And Merlin. Promise me you won't lose hope."

"I promise, sire."


	10. Chapter 10

-_-_-_-_-_-Now-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As Sir Allan and Sir Thane finished their last preparations, the Queen approached Sir Gwaine, who was currently standing by his horse.

"Gaius will be here shortly, with the potion. He's just making sure he didn't forget anything." said Gwen. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes we do. We even have Hawky here." said Gwaine, as he lifted his left arm, with a hawk standing on it.

"You named the bird Hawky?" asked Gwen "Very creative."

"Why not Hawky? It's a good as name as any. Besides, she likes the name."

"If you say so." said Gwen "Gwaine?"

"Yes?"

"Tell Arthur I miss him, will you?"

"Of course, my Queen."

"And take care of Merlin, please, and of yourself."

"Everything will be all right, Gwen" said Gwaine, with a gentle tone. He hugged her, and Gwen found comfort in that hug.

"I hope you're right." she said, as they ended their hug.

"When have I not been right?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Oh look, there's Gaius" said Gwaine suddenly.

Gwen smiled as she turned around to see the old man approaching them, with a brown bag in his hands.

"Is everything ready?" asked Gwen.

"Yes it is. The antidote is in here" said Gaius, as he took a small wooden box out of the bag. He opened the box, showing its insides to Gwen and Gwaine. A small bottle, filled with golden liquid was in the box.

"Keep it in this box to prevent it from breaking" said Gaius as he put the box back inside the bag. "I put other medicine in the bag as well, if you have any need of it."

As Gwaine began to secure the bag to his horse's saddle, the Queen walked over to Sir Allan and Sir Thane, leaving Gwaine alone with Gaius.

"Please be careful" started Gaius "I know you want to save Merlin, but you will help no one if you get yourselves captured or hurt."

"I know." said Gwaine, as he mounted his horse. "We'll be careful, don't worry."

"Not worrying is not an option at the moment, Sir Gwaine" said Gaius.

"Gaius" said Gwaine. Gaius took his eyes of the darkening horizon and looked at the young knight.

"I won't let Merlin down, I swear."

"Tell him…" said Gaius, his voice now quiet "Tell that stupid, reckless boy that I…" He stopped talking now, overwhelmed by all the emotions he was feeling. His eyes were filled with tears, and he was struggling to control himself, to not let his emotions get the better of him.

"I will." said Gwaine, looking sadly at the old man "We'll save Merlin, I promise."

Gaius just nodded his head, unable to say anything else at the moment. Gwaine called Sir Allan and Sir Thane. They mounted their horses, and started galloping across the courtyard. Gwaine exchanged one final look with Gwen and Gaius, before turning away, and galloping away on his horse. The old physician and the Queen were left alone in the lonely courtyard.

-_-_-_-_-_-_What happened before_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Two days had passed since the attack. Merlin was now in better condition. He could sit in his bed, and even walk around. He could not, however, overexert himself, as he found out the first time he got out of bed. He tried to reach a book on one of the higher shelves in his room, and as soon as he stretched a little too much, he felt a hot, burning pain in his wound. He fell to his knees, clutching his wound, powerless to make the pain go away. Fortunately, Percival had been there with him. He lifted Merlin up on his shoulders, and he headed towards the physicians' chambers. Ella gave him some of the potion they had been brewing, and the pain in Merlin's wound went away almost momentarily. After spending the rest of the day in bed, Ella allowed him to get up and move around, as long as he promised he would take it easy this time. Merlin promised, of course. And he promised because he was a smart and responsible person, and not because Arthur had been glaring at him ever since he had been brought into the physicians' chambers.

Arthur and the knights had interrogated all the prisoners. It hadn't been easy, but they got some information out of them. The prisoners didn't know all the details, but from what they could gather, a mysterious stranger had ordered the attack. They didn't know anything about the identity of the stranger. Only the leaders had ever met with him, or her. The stranger would always contact them via a messenger, and whenever the leaders showed up at the designated place of the meeting, the stranger was already there, waiting for them. Even though he had met with the stranger, the co-leader that was now a prisoner couldn't remember if the stranger was a men or a woman. This was odd, and Arthur thought that he was lying at first. But after much interrogation, it seemed clear that the co-leader honestly didn't know. The payment was always in emeralds, and even though Arthur found this strange, it seemed not one of the Society's members had ever questioned this. 'Whoever this mysterious stranger is' thought Arthur 'he, or she must be very rich.' Emeralds weren't cheap. And this person used them for payment? They must be very, very rich.

King Robin had consulted with his council, his books, and several noted wise men from the Kingdom. It all resulted in very little. No one had any idea who this person might be. No one knew what the golden text on the little velvet pouch meant. And the only thing King Robin found out about the emerald was that emeralds signified loyalty. 'Fantastic.' thought Arthur after Robin had told him about the gem's meaning 'He's not only rich and mysterious, but also poetic. Wonderful.'

Three days after the attack, Arthur and his party were ready to leave for Camelot. With medicine and food supplies ready, Arthur and Merlin said their goodbyes. After making sure they have everything with them, Camelot's finest started their journey, unaware of the dangers in front of them.

-_-_-_-_-_-Now-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Gwaine, Allan and Thaine were sitting around a campfire. After riding for a few hours they stopped to rest. It was dark now, and they were getting ready for sleep. Gwaine had volunteered to keep watch first. He couldn't fall asleep anyway, his mind on Merlin and Arthur. ''I hope you're all right" said Gwaine quietly. The silent crackling of the fire was the only answer Gwaine received. The silence around him did nothing to calm his nerves, and Gwaine continued his watch, wondering if all of this would end well.

-_-_-_-_-_-Now, near Arthur's campsite-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Harold was standing on a big rock, on a top of a small hill. He was watching the road from here, the trees protecting him from being seen. He was one of the younger knights in Arthur's party. He didn't know Arthur or Merlin much, but he respected both of them a lot. When Arthur assigned him to watch over the road, Harold was honored that the king had put so much faith in him. And so, when he saw a group of people heading down the road, he didn't hesitate to run back and warn the others.

-_-_-_-_-_-Now, at Arthur's campsite-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After spending the better part of the night talking with Merlin and making plans with the knights, Arthur was now finally asleep. The night had been a peaceful one. No one had attacked them, and no one saw anything suspicious. Arthur even dared to hope that no one was going to attack. He was now sleeping, as his wounded friend watched over him. Merlin had been awake for a few hours. He had woken up suddenly, alert and with a feeling that something was wrong. But everything had been all right, and while that was good, Merlin couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. He had told Leon and Percival about this, and they said they would check around. They had all agreed not to wake Arthur unless they found something, as they knew he desperately needed his rest. That was a few hours ago. It was morning now, and Merlin had finally managed to convince himself that it was just fear that had woken him up. He was now calm, as calm as he could be in the situation. And yet, as he closed his eyes to go back to sleep, he couldn't help but listen to the small voice in his head. The small voice, that for the last few hours, had been repeating that everything was about to go wrong.

-_-_-_-_-_-Now, near Arthur's campsite-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Harold ran. He had been running for ten minutes, and he was starting to get tired, but he couldn't stop. 'I have to warn them, they have to know.' he repeated to himself, as he kept running. He finally reached his destination, the second watch post, where another knight was keeping watch on another part of the road.

"What is it Harold?" said the other knight as he saw Harold approaching.

"Sir Kane, there are people… down the road…" Harold started saying, as he struggled to catch his breath.

"People?" asked Sir Kane "how many?"

"They were far away, and I couldn't really see them but I think there are around thirty, maybe more. I'm not certain that they are working with the ones that attacked us, Sir Kane, as they were still too far to tell."

"Nevertheless, it was a good thing you warned me" said Sir Kane "Go back Harold, and keep an eye on them. I'll go back to tell the others. I'll send Sir Robert to alert you of our plans. Now go!"

Both knights took off, running in the opposite directions.

-_-_-_-_-_-Now, at Arthur's campsite-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur was still asleep. He was dreaming that he was back in Camelot, walking around in his castle. His arm was over Gwen's shoulder, and he was hugging her, as they both laughed, enjoying the wonderful afternoon. Everything was perfect, and Arthur turned to Gwen to tell her how much he loved her. But as he turned to face Gwen, he heard someone shouting behind him. Arthur turned around, shocked, not knowing who was shouting. He heard another cry, and this time Arthur recognized it: Merlin. Seconds later, he was awake. He jumped up, looking at his friend. Merlin was there, lying on the floor, twitching and turning, and crying out, his voice filled with pain and misery.


	11. Chapter 11

-_-_-_-_-_-Now _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur never liked waking up. Back when Merlin was Arthur's manservant, it was Merlin's job to wake him up. He hated Merlin in those moments, even though he knew Merlin was just doing his job. Over time, Arthur learned how to be less grumpy and angry when someone woke him up. He still hated it though.

So when he was now suddenly woken up, he felt miserable. And the reason he felt this way was once again connected to the same person. But this time, it was the thought of Merlin being in pain that made him miserable.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0_0-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was horrible. Instead of feeling the warmth of his magic, he felt the poison burning him from the inside. He could feel his magic drifting away, and he knew it wasn't long now. Soon, his magic would fade away forever, and he would fade away with it.

-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-0_0-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Leon, Percival and a few of the other knights were sitting outside the cave, huddled around the camp fire. They were eating, and for the first time in a few days, they were actually relaxed. They were now telling stories about interesting or funny things that had happened on their journeys. The stories weren't as fun as when Gwaine told them, but they were still entertaining.

After a few hours, most of the knights were tired and were getting ready for sleep. Leon and Percival were the first to keep watch, so they stayed awake, along with two other knights. Things were quiet now, and peaceful. Suddenly, a loud, tortured cry broke the silence.

-_-_-_-_-_-Somewhere on the road from Camelot_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Gwaine, Allan and Thane were now back on the road. After a few hours of rest, they were now riding as fast as they can. Allan and Thane, who were both quiet people, rarely broke the silence to say anything. If this were any other day, Gwaine would be bored out of his mind, and he would be telling them of his wild adventures, trying to coax them into talking. But as it were, Gwaine was too busy thinking about his friend's situation to even notice the silence.

They had already passed a third of their way. It was morning now, and if luck was on their side, they would reach Arthur's camp by the end of the day.

-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Merlin was crying out with pain. Arthur was now sitting next to him, with both hands on Merlin's shoulders, trying to calm him down. But nothing worked, and Merlin continued to yell and toss and shake.

Arthur kept saying Merlin's name, hoping his friend would hear him. It didn't work though, and he knew he had only one more option left.

At that moment, he heard movement around him and he saw that a few knights had entered the cave.

"Arthur" said Percival, as he approached Merlin and Arthur "what's wrong?"

"It's bad, Percival" said Arthur "His wound hearts again. I think it's worse this time, he's not even conscious."

"What about the potion, Sire?" asked Leon, as he kneeled next to Merlin "Is there none left?"

"All that remains are a few drops." said Arthur, looking sadly at Merlin "If I use it now, we'll have no more left."

"But Arthur, look at how much pain he's in" said Percival "The physicians warned us that many people died from the pain itself."

Arthur looked at Leon and Percival, with a helpless look in his eyes. It reminded Leon of when he and Arthur were younger, when Arthur still didn't trust his decision making skills. Leon often gave him advice in those moments. He knew that Arthur needed his advice again.

"I think we should give him the potion now, Arthur" said Leon "It's true, we'll have none left. But it'll give us more time. And we need time if we have any hope of saving Merlin. Gwaine will be back soon, I'm certain."

After a few seconds, Arthur nodded his head in agreement "You're right. Hold him down, I'll go and take the potion."

As Leon and Percival tried their best to calm Merlin down, Arthur went to where his bag was and took out the small crystal bottle. Then he went back to where his friend lay.

"Steady him" he told his knights. He put the bottle in Merlin's mouth, and he helped Merlin drink it. The few drops of precious liquid disappeared down Merlin's throat. After a few more moments of shaking, Merlin finally calmed down. He relaxed, and his face was now calm and peaceful.

The three knights just sat there, looking at their friend. Leon was to first to get up. He put one supporting hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"I'll be outside if you need me, Arthur" said Leon. Arthur just nodded his head in gratitude, and Leon left the cave.

Percival sat with Arthur for a few more moments. He was worried about Merlin, who now closer to death than ever. And he was worried about Arthur too. He was looking at his king now, who had this empty look of hopefulness in his blue eyes.

"Gwaine will be back in time, Sire." He said, trying to comfort Arthur. Arthur just looked at him, the hopeless look still in his eyes. He gave him a small nod, and then he looked at Merlin again. Percival realized Arthur would want to be alone now. So he got up, and left the cave. He hoped that he was right about Gwaine.

-_-_-_-_-_-Now, at King Robin and Queen Ouida's castle-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It had been a few days since Arthur and his party left for Camelot. Queen Ouida was worried, because Arthur had promised to send her a letter. She told herself that it was still too early. They probably hadn't even reached Camelot yet.

The Queen was now talking a stroll through the royal gardens. Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't notice her husband, who now running towards her.

"Ouida!" he called her as he came to stand beside her. She snapped out of her thoughts, noticing her husband. He was talking fast, faster than usual, explaining something to her. He was waving a piece of paper in front of her, and she took it in her hands.

"What is this?"

"It's from a very old book" said King Robin "about old Magic. Magic used by the priestesses of the Old Religion. I was looking for books to translate the text on that little pouch, and I finally found this in our archives."

"The Old Religion?" said the Queen, shocked "So is the text a magic spell?"

"It might be. The scholars are now in the library. We found a couple of books like this, and they're trying to decipher the text right now."

"Good" said the Queen. She gave her husband a kiss, before they both headed back to the castle.

-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp, outside the cave_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Leon was sitting on a big rock. He was studying the map, trying to concentrate. He was still thinking about what had just happened. The pain Merlin had experienced… Leon felt shivers down his spine just from thinking about it. He concentrated on the map again, trying to decide what the best defensive maneuvers were. He hoped they wouldn't need to use them, but they had to be prepared. His train of thought was interrupted when he heard someone approaching. He put the map back in his back, stood up, and reached for his sword. He relaxed when he saw it was Sir Kane.

"Sir Leon!" yelled Kane as he approached Leon, barely able to catch his breath "People… There are people approaching…"

"Breath, Kane" said Leon "Now, tell me what happened."

"I was keeping watch, on the second watch point, when suddenly Harold came running. He'd been keeping watch up the road, and he said he'd seen a group of people approaching. They were still far away, so he couldn't see if they were working with the people that attacked us. He said there were around thirty of them."

"Thirty? That's not good." Leon was worried. It wasn't as much as they thought the enemy might send, but it was still double the people they had.

"I told him to go back and keep an eye on them." continued Sir Kane "What should we do, Sir?"

Leon, who had taken the map out of his bag again, was now silent. He was looking at the map, thinking about their next move. He thought about consulting Arthur…but he thought it best to leave Arthur alone with Merlin, for now. If things escalated, he would tell him. But know, when they weren't even sure that these people were the ones that were after them… Leon knew Arthur trusted him, so he made a decision.

"Take ten men" he said to Sir Kane, pointing to the map "and settle around in this area. Put five men here, and the other five here. You'll wait until these people get closer. As soon as you identify them, come back and report. Do not attack them. We don't want them to know where our camp is. "

"Yes, Sir Leon. Should I send one of the men to inform Sir Harold of our plans?"

"Yes. And Sir Kane, be quiet and careful"

"Yes Sire." Said Sir Kane, before he left to inform the other knight of their orders. Leon settled down on his rock once more. He had a lot of thinking to do.

-_-_-_-_-_-0_0-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Once again, Arthur found himself sitting next to his unconscious friend. It had happened far too often in the last few days. And this time, a new feeling of hopelessness was added to the situation.

Arthur held the now empty bottle in his hands. This bottle had been a symbol of hope for the last few days. The clear liquid that had been in it was enough to give Arthur strength to go on. It gave him strength to believe, despite the odds, that everything would turn out alright. Now, that symbol was gone. And all of Arthur's hope seemed to disappear with it.

'What if Merlin has another one of these "episodes"? What if Gwaine isn't here in time?' Arthur pondered on these and many more questions. Merlin's health was getting worse and worse. 'And what about his knights?' Even though he was worried about Merlin, Arthur also has a duty towards his knights. He knew that they would follow him whatever he decided... but he couldn't risk their lives in vain. If there was a chance that Merlin might live, he would fight. But if every effort was for nothing... If Merlin's fate was to die no matter what he did, and no matter what he risked... Should he give up?

Arthur was a man who would gladly risk his live for what he believed in. He had often risked his life for Camelot, his friends and his family. He had even risked his life to help strangers in trouble. So yes, he was ready to sacrifice himself for something or someone he deemed worthy. He and Merlin had this in common. But even though he was ready to sacrifice his life, he wasn't sure he had the right to sacrifice the lives of others. 'Your life is worth more than a servant's', his father had often told him. And even though he understood why Uther was saying this, Arthur had always disagreed with him. So now, when he was put in a similar situation, he wasn't sure what to do. He knew that if things took a turn for the worse, he would have to decide. Was one life worth more than others? Even if that life was Merlin's.


	12. Chapter 12

-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The day had slowly passed by. The evening saw the knights reading their weapons, anticipating a potential attack. It was confirmed that the group of thirty people that were previously spotted were working with the people that had attacked them previously. The enemies had set up camp further down the road. Their camp wasn't too far from Arthur's camp, but it seemed that the correct location of Arthur's camp was unknown to them. Arthur thanked whatever gods existed for that. He and Leon had agreed that it was best to do nothing for now. They had some knights at various spots around the camp, to report if the enemy was up to something. The rest of the knights were back in the camp, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

-_-_-_-_-Somewhere on the road from Camelot-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It had been a long and exhausting journey, both for them and their horses. But they were finally close. They were now riding down the incline that took a lot out of Gwaine's horse when he set off to Camelot a few days ago. They only had a mile or so left. Gwaine was confident that they would make it in time.

"Sir Gwaine!" said Sir Thane suddenly "Look! Isn't that were King Arthur's camp is?"

Gwaine looked at the direction where Thane was pointing. At first he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Arthur's camp was relatively close to the main to the road, although not too close. Gwaine could see a few small figures moving down the main road. He knew that Arthur's knights were probably watching the road, so they would have spotted these people by now. But then he saw what Sir Thane was pointing at. There was a smaller road, diverging from the main one. There was a small area, densely populated with trees, situated between the two roads. Arthur's camp was located in that area, on a small clearing near a cave. At the moment, there was a small group of people moving down the smaller road. Gwaine knew that this smaller road was further from Arthur's camp than the main road. They might not have guards that far away from camp. And if those men on the smaller road were enemies… They might take Arthur by surprise.

"Faster" said Gwaine "We're not far now, and we have to warn them". With that, they spurred they horses and they made their way down the road.

After riding for about ten minutes, they arrived at the place where the two roads diverged. The fastest way to Arthur's camp was to go down the main road, and Gwaine knew how much Merlin needed the cure. But what about the people they saw heading down the smaller road?

"We'll head down this road, Sir Gwaine" said Sir Allan, gesturing towards the smaller road "you go and warn the king. Sir Thane and I can scout the situation, and deal with these people, if necessary."

"All right" said Gwaine "You know where the camp is. If these people are just some travelers, return to the camp. I'll send some knights for back up as soon as I arrive at the camp. Be careful Allan. And you, Thane."

The two gave a consenting nod, before disappearing down the smaller road. Gwaine made his way to Arthur's camp, hoping he'll get there in time.

-_-_-_-_-_-At King Robin and Queen Ouida's castle-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"A loyalty spell?" asked Queen Ouida. The question was asked out of disbelief, rather than not being to hear the question. "Really?"

"Yes, you Majesty." Said one of the old men. King Robin and Queen Ouida were currently seated around a big wooden table in their royal library, accompanied by several old men and one old woman. These old people were one of the wisest people in the kingdom. King Robin had asked them to check if they could find anything about the mysterious golden text in the ancient books, and it looked as if they finally had some answers.

"I thought this spell was a myth." said the King.

"It is very real, Sire." said the old woman. "This spell is one of the oldest known spells, and was used often in the olden days. With the Great Purge and many of the magic practitioners killed, this spell was all but forgotten. But it seems there are some who still have the knowledge to cast it."

"I'm sorry" interrupted the Queen "But can this spell really force people to be loyal to you?"

"In a way, yes" continued the old woman "It can strengthen the loyalty of a person, to the extent of the person being ready to sacrifice themselves willingly, if needed. But the spell has two conditions. The first condition is that the person must have a connection to either the person, or the mission that they have been given to do."

"That could be it" said the King "When Sir Leon interrogated the prisoners, he said that he was surprised by some of them. He said that even though they were against magic, it didn't look as if they were devoted to the point of dying for the cause."

"I guess that makes sense." Said Queen Ouida "But what is the second condition of the spell?"

"Physical closeness" said one of the old men, speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun. "The person casting the spell must enchant an object that will be kept close by the victim of the spell."

"That would be this pouch, then" said King Robin, lifting the pouch in his hand. "But would it be enough? We found only one pouch. Would one object be enough to enchant a whole group of people?"

"In some cases, it's enough. If all the people are present when the spell is cast and when the object is placed in the victim's hand. And there's also the matter with the emerald. Precious stones have often been used in magical rituals, sorcerers often claiming that they increase the potency of the spell. If the pouch itself is the enchanted object, the emerald could be increasing the spell's power, making it powerful enough to control a group of people."

"Clever." said the Queen "The person who hired these people used the emerald as a paying method, and as a way to enhance the spell. These people don't even know that a spell had been cast over them."

"That is probably true. Still, these people will answer for their crimes." said King Robin. He grabbed a parchment and a quill from the cabinet next to the table, and he started writing on it.

"I don't know if this letter will reach them, or if it'll even help." said the King "But I'll send a messenger anyway. I want to help Arthur, and seeing there's nothing else I can do now, this will have to do."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Merlin was asleep. Nothing had changed there. He hadn't had any more attacks, so Arthur was at least grateful for that. What worried Arthur now, was how still Merlin was. His breaths were too shallow, and it almost looked like he wasn't breathing at all. His skin was burning hot, his body raging with fever, and yet he was too still, almost as a statue. Merlin's breath had even stopped for a few times, to which Arthur had responded with shaking Merlin by his shoulders and calling his name. He had even resorted to giving chest compressions. They helped, and Merlin continued breathing. But shaking by the shoulders and chest compressions couldn't help forever.

Night had fallen. Arthur could hear movement outside, his knights settling down for dinner. It was a quiet and peaceful night. Arthur wondered if this was the calm before the storm. Were these the last peaceful moments before they were attacked? Were these the last moments he had before his friend died in front of him?

Arthur dwelt on these thoughts for several hours, getting more depressed and anxious as time passed. His train of though was cut short however when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, and he saw Gwaine hurriedly walking towards him and Merlin. Arthur could honestly say that there had only been a couple of instances where he had been as happy to see someone as he was happy right now, when he saw Gwaine.

"I have it, Arthur" said Gwaine, talking a wooden box out of his bag. He kneeled next to Merlin and Arthur and he opened the box. Arthur took out the small bottle out of the box, and he couldn't help but look at the precious liquid inside for a moment. The liquid was transparent and clear, like water. It had a golden glow to it though. A glow that Arthur didn't fully recognize, but it reminded him of something warm and powerful, of something that gave him hope. Wasting no more time, he removed the cork out of the bottle. Gwaine lifted Merlin, and opened his mouth, while Arthur gently pressed the bottle to Merlin's lips. Merlin looked completely unaware of what was happening, so they had to help him drink the potion. Careful not to spill any of it, Gwaine and Arthur slowly managed to make Merlin drink the cure. Then they lowered Merlin back to the ground.

They waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. Merlin's breathing continued to be shallow and almost completely stopped. Nothing changed, and after a minute of silence, Gwaine gently shook Merlin's shoulder "Merlin?" he asked "Can you hear me?"

Merlin didn't answer. Arthur was just about to say that maybe it was too late, when Merlin suddenly began shaking. Gwaine and Arthur tried to hold him, afraid that something had gone wrong. They tried calling his name, hoping that he could hear them, but it didn't work. A few other knight heard them calling, and they joined Arthur and Gwaine in trying to hold Merlin down and to stop him from shaking and tossing. They tried this for several minutes, with Merlin's tossing getting more and more violent. That's when a powerful wave of energy emanated from Merlin, pushing all the knights several meters away. After a few moments in which Arthur dealt with the slight disorientation that the energy wave had caused, he got up to his legs. He saw the knights standing up as well, all in similar states of disorientation as him. He looked to Merlin, and he hurried back to him. He kneeled next to Merlin, and he saw Gwaine kneeling next to him, while the other knights stood in a circle around Merlin, waiting to see what would happen.

Merlin was completely still again, looking as if the powerful magic wave had absolutely no effect on him. In that moment however, his body tensed and he let out a powerful cry. It wasn't too loud, and it wasn't a cry of pain. But it was enough to make the knights tremble from the sheer power that they could feel. A moment later everything was quiet again. His body was still tense and rigid though. Merlin's eyes then opened, and he took a deep breath. Arthur was surprised when he saw Merlin's eyes. They weren't their usual blue, and they didn't have the golden glow they had when Merlin was using magic. They were now completely gold, almost as if the sun itself burned inside Merlin's eyes. The golden light was almost too intense to watch. After a moment however, Merlin closed his eyes again, and he let out a deep breath. He was quiet now, but calm and relaxed, his breathing was normal, and he looked like he was just sleeping.

"I think he's going to be fine" said Gwaine. Arthur now looked at Gwaine, truly looking at him for the first time since he had entered the cave. He was exhausted, that much could be seen from his face. But he was smiling nevertheless, his tired smiled never wavering while he was looking at Merlin. "Gaius said that he will probably need time to rest after drining the potion. Something about his body repairing the damage the poison had done. But he'll be fine."

"Thank you Gwaine. If it weren't for you, Merlin would have died'' said Arthur, as he walked over to Gwaine, and offered him a hand.

The ever proud Gwaine shrugged and slowly pushed Arthur's hand away, trying to get up on his own. But his exhaustion caught up with him. He would have fallen down, if Arthur hadn't caught him in time, steadying him.

"Easy Gwaine" said Arthur "You need rest. I recommend you lay down, and I'll bring some food and water to you…"

"Arthur, listen" said Gwaine interrupting him "I told some knights when I arrived at the camp, but I didn't have time to tell you. Now that Merlin is all right, you have to know. "

"What is it?"

"Gwen sent Allan and Thane with me when I set off from Camelot. When we were close to the camp, we noticed some people near here. We thought that they might be enemies, so Allan and Thane went after them, to make sure they weren't headed this way."

"It's all right Gwaine. We know about the people on the main road. They have set up camp further down the road, but I have guards looking out for them."

"No Arthur" continued Gwaine "We also saw some people on the smaller road, the one diverging from the main road. It goes in the other way, remember? It's south from the camp. Do you have people patrolling in that area?"

"Not on the smaller road no, it was too far from here, and there wasn't any need… But they couldn't be the same people, could they? We would have seen them, if they came from the camp on the main road. No one from their camp passed anywhere near our camp, let alone that far south. They couldn't possibly have made it that far south without us noticing them!"

"That may be the case, but none the less we spotted some people in that area. It may be nothing, but…"

"But it might be them" said Arthur, the anger rising up in his voice. "You informed Leon about this?"

"Yes, I did, I think he already sent out some knight to patrol there…"

"Well done Gwaine" said Arthur "You have outdone yourself."

"Words I have rarely heard from you, princess."

"Yes. And they have never been said to you, so enjoy them now" said Arthur smiling. He then regained his seriousness "You have proved yourself again, Gwaine. Now rest. You've earned it, and you look like you really need it. I'll take care of everything else."

Gwaine gave a small smile. Arthur smiled back, before calling his knights to follow him out of the cave. Gwaine sat next to Merlin, resting his head on the bags that were huddled close to the fire. "I'm glad I made it in time, mate." he said to his sleeping friend "I hope you're going to be all right." A few moments later, the brave knight fell asleep. As the two men lay sleeping, comforted by the warmth of the cave, the rest of their friends were busy making plans for the trouble that was ahead of them.


	13. Chapter 13

-_-_-_Near Arthur's camp_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Leon and four other knights were currently moving towards the smaller road, ready to fight. Leon hoped that the people that Gwaine had warned them about were just passengers. But they couldn't leave things to chance. Still, Leon thought 'It couldn't be them, could it? The enemy's camp is on the main road, we would have noticed if someone left their camp…'

Leon repeated these words in his mind. And as rational as they were, the words brought little hope. The chances were rarely in their favour. Something always went wrong. And Leon was certain that something would go wrong very, very soon.

Those were Leon's thoughts as they made their way through the woods. And he was very pleasantly surprised when they finally arrived at the road. Further down the small and dusty road, he spotted Sir Allan and Sir Thane. Contrary to what he expected, they weren't busy fighting anyone. They were currently engaged in talking to a man and a woman, who judging by their clothes, were just ordinary villagers.

"Sir Thane, Sir Allan" said Leon, as they approached the two knights. "All is well, then?"

"Yes, Sir Leon." answered Thane "We intercepted these people, as Sir Gwaine ordered, and we've interrogated them. It seems that they are villagers. Their village is in King Robin's kingdom, and they're making their way home."

"Is this true?" asked Leon, now talking to the villagers.

"It is, Sire." said the woman "I am Deana, and this is my younger brother Sam. We live in the village of Lawreck. We were headed that way now, when we met your knights."

The young woman talked quickly. She was nervous, and scared, as she looked at Arthur's knights. The younger man standing next to her was as, or even more nervous than she was. He hadn't said one word, and he just stared at Leon, not taking his eyes off him for even a second.

Something felt very off about Deana and Sam. Leon couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something didn't feel right. The two young people in front of him were too scared, and on edge. Leon could understand why they would be scared. After all, a strange group of knights had just appeared out of nowhere and started asking them questions. Anyone would be a little nervous in that situation. But still, something seemed odd.

"Alright" said Leon. After scrutinizing the two siblings before him for a few minutes, Leon had decided that they were telling the truth. The nagging feeling that something was wrong was still here, but Leon decided that it was just his nerves playing with him. He wished the two travelers good luck, and he silently watched them leave for a few moments.

"Sir Tristane" he silently called one of the knights, gesturing him to come closer "Wait until they get a bit further away, and then follow them. Move quietly, and don't let them notice you're here. I don't think that they're working with our enemies, but it's best if we're certain."

"Right, Sire." said the young Tristane "How long should I follow them?"

"For the next mile or two" answered Leon "don't go too far away from the camp. And be careful. If there's any trouble, come straight to the camp."

"All right." said Sir Tristane. He quietly walked towards the trees of the forest, disappearing among them, as he headed in the same direction as the two travelers.

"All right men, we go back to the camp" said Sir Leon, and the knights slowly made their way towards the trees.

Leon stopped for a moment, looking around at the road. 'Well Leon' he said to himself 'it seems you've become quite the pessimist.'

He looked around at the woods around him. No one came out to attack him, and that nagging feeling that something was wrong was quickly disappearing. The fresh cold air was calming him down, and Leon lifted his head up, as he stretched his stiff neck. He closed his eyes and he took a deep breath. The cold air refreshed him, and he opened his eyes.

For a moment, he thought he saw something. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he spotted a figure on the small hill in front of him. But then he blinked and there was nothing there. He squinted his eyes, and he looked at the same spot. There was no one there. The forest around him was still as peaceful as it had been moments before.

'There's nothing there' he told himself 'you're tired and nervous, you're seeing things.' And that was true, he really was tired. So he turned around, and made his way through the trees, catching up with the other knights.

'There was no one there' he kept telling himself 'If there was, I would've have seen them running, or hiding, or I would have heard them, at least. No one was there, no one is that fast.'

'Are you sure about that?' said a small voice inside Leon's head. Leon did his best to ignore that voice.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0-0_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

For a long time, there was only darkness and pain. Pain from the magic that was leaving his body, and darkness from the absence of light and hope it usually gave him. He almost didn't remember what he had before he had the darkness and the pain. He remembered his loved ones, and deep down he knew that he hadn't been in this tortured state for that long. But the pain had been so horrible, and the darkness had been so terrifying, and to him, it felt like years had passed. He wanted to give up, and a few times, he almost did. There were a few times, when he could feel his breath leaving his body, and he could swear that it was for the last time. But every time, something, or someone was there, urging him to live. And even though it hurt, Merlin was grateful.

A moment came however, when everything changed. Amidst the darkness and the pain, he saw a small light. The light was pale at the beginning, and then it slowly grew. As the light grew, he felt the pain lessen and lessen, becoming more bearable. He thought that this was it, his salvation. Suddenly, the gentle light exploded. It was golden and intense, and it was beautiful. It was familiar and it gave him strength. He could feel the light throughout his body now, he could feel its warmth. He had missed that warmth and it felt so good to have it back again. As much as the light was beautiful however, it was also powerful and scary. And as wonderful as the warmth felt, it also burned him. He felt wonderful and horrible at once. His body was burning and healing at the same time, and he had to let it out. He felt a wave of energy being released from his body. It helped with the pain, and he almost felt normal again. He felt the raw power of his magic radiating from him, destroying the poison. He could feel that the thing that had been causing the darkness was gone from his body, and now he could relax. He didn't care if he died, the only thing he cared was that the pain was gone…

But his body wouldn't surrender that easily. He felt his body tensing up again, and his eyes opened as he took a deep breath. He felt that familiar spark of life returning to his body. When his body finally relaxed and his eyes closed again, Merlin felt tired, but full of life.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Ah, Leon" said Arthur, as he walked towards the small group of knights who had just returned to the camp "what happened?"

"The people that were spotted on the smaller road were just villagers, Sire" answered Leon, as the group of knights gathered around Arthur "A brother and sister, no older than twenty. They claimed that their home was in King Robin's kingdom, and they were headed that way. They seemed to be telling the truth, so I let them continue on their journey. I asked Sir Tristane to follow them for a mile or two, just to be certain they're not spies for the enemy."

"Good." said Arthur "All of you, good job. You can all go and rest now. Allan and Thane, welcome to the camp" he then said to the two new additions to their party.

"Thank you Sire." answered the two knights. The other knights that were in the group all left to sit near the camp fire, except Leon, who was nervously looking at Arthur. Arthur didn't notice this though, as he was currently busy talking with Allan and Thane.

"Did Sir Gwaine make it in time, Sire?" asked Sir Allan.

"He did" answered Arthur "We gave Merlin the cure. He hasn't woken up yet, but I think that the cure helped him. He and Gwaine are in the cave now, resting."

"We were also ordered to deliver this, your Majesty" said Sir Thane, as he pulled a letter out of his bag "It's from Queen Guinevere."

Arthur took the letter. He held it tightly in his hands, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness, as he remembered how much he missed his Guinevere.

"Thank you" he said, a sad smile now appearing on his face "You must be exhausted. Go and rest for a few hours. Report to me after that."

"Yes Sire" said the two knights, before turning and walking away in the opposite direction.

"Sire" said Leon suddenly, surprising Arthur, who had almost forgotten that Leon was still there "There's something else I have to tell you."

"What is it Leon?" asked Arthur, whose attention was now directed toward opening the letter from his wife. He broke the royal seal, and he took the letter out of the envelope. Only then did he realize that Leon hadn't answered his question. Lifting his head, he looked at the knight standing next to him.

Leon's gaze was focused on the ground. He seemed lost in thought, as if he wanted to say something, but he hesitated. It was strange, Arthur thought, as Leon was usually quite forward with his thoughts, not hesitating to speak up when something was wrong.

"Leon?" asked Arthur again, with more force to his voice. This seemed to be enough to catch Leon's attention, as he looked at Arthur once again.

"I don't know if it's even worth mentioning Sire, it may be nothing."

"If it's worrying you, it's worth mentioning." said the King "What is it?"

"The villagers on the road, Sire" started Leon "When we questioned them, they seemed scared and nervous."

"Well it's hardly strange." said Arthur "You said it yourself, they are from a small village, and they are young. They're far from home, and they probably haven't met too many knights in their lifetime. It's no wonder they were scared when a group of knights stopped them in the middle of the forest."

"You're right Sire, of course. But there was something off about them. They seemed scared, yes, but they were also nervous. Only the girl, Deana, spoke to us. As scared as she was, her words were precise and to the point, almost as if she had thought about what she was about to say beforehand."

"I don't think that they're working with our enemy Leon. And besides, you sent Tristane to follow them. If they're meeting with our enemies, we'll know."

Leon nodded his head in agreement. Arthur thought that was all, but then Leon continued "There was something else, Sire. After the villagers continued on their way, with Sir Tristane following closely behind, we started making our way back to the camp. I was the last one to turn back, and for a moment, I thought I saw someone lurking near the hill south from the forest."

"You saw someone?" asked Arthur.

"For a moment, I thought I did. But then I took a closer look, and no one was there. No one was moving in that area, and I heard no sounds."

"I am sure" started Arthur, relieved "that it was nothing. I think you must have imagined it. We've been through a lot, it's dark, and we're all on edge. Besides, Percival lead a patrol group in that area. We'll know if someone's lurking there."

"I suppose you're right, Arthur" said Leon. Arthur dismissed him, and Leon went to join some of the other knights around the campfire.

The king looked around. He spotted a big rock that looked comfortable enough to sit on. He sat down, and unfolding the letter, he started reading the message that his wife had sent him.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0-0_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

'I needed that' thought Gwaine, as he lay on the cave floor, comfortably warm beneath his blanket.

Gwaine had just woken up from his sleep, and until now, he hadn't quite realized how tired he had been. He had only slept for three hours in the last two and a half days, and that was only because Gwen had insisted. He'd been too preoccupied with the mission, too preoccupied to get back in time, to save Merlin…

"Merlin" he said then, realizing that he had no idea how his friends was, or if the cure had even worked.

"You called?" said a voice somewhere on his right. Gwaine sat up, and he saw Merlin, awake, with his hands crossed, watching him.

"You're awake!" said Gwaine, as he got up.

"I am" said Merlin. But before he could say anything else, Gwaine engulfed him in a tight hug. All he could do was laugh and return the hug.

"I'm glad you're all right mate" said Gwaine, as he released Merlin from the hug "you are all right, aren't you? And when did you wake up?"

"I woke up only a few minutes before you did, and I'm fine." answered Merlin "And look"

"Forbearnan" he said, with his hand pointed towards some old branches that were nearby. His eyes lit up with their golden glow, and suddenly the branches were ablaze. Gwaine looked at the branches, and then he looked back at Merlin. His eyes were now returning to their usual blue.

"It doesn't hurt anymore" he said, smiling "when I do magic."

"And your wound?" asked Gwaine "Does it still hurt?"

"A bit, yeah" answered the warlock "but not too much."

"So, you feel fine now?"

"Yes" said Merlin. He held out his hands, his eyes turned gold, and a few butterflies flew out from his hands. They danced in the air, and Gwaine and Merlin watched them silently for a few moments. Then as the butterflies disappeared towards the cave's entrance, Merlin continued "As I was getting weaker, I could feel the poison making its way through my body. I could feel the magic slowly fading away, and I could feel I was fading away with it. But now, I can feel the magic returning to my body, slowly reaching every part of me. And as my magic returns, I feel stronger. I can even feel the wound healing faster now."

"Wonderful" said Gwaine "I told the princess that you would make it. I knew you were strong, mate."

"I may be strong, but I would have been dead if it weren't for you, Gwaine." said Merlin. His voice was now softer, and gentler, but he was still smiling.

"Don't mention it…" started Gwaine, but Merlin raised his hand.

"No" he said, looking directly in his friend's eyes "You saved my life. It's no small thing, and I'll be forever in your debt."

"You are my friend" said Gwaine, with a serious voice "there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, you know that."

"I know, and I am grateful."

"Well then" said Gwaine, grabbing the water skin from his bag "if you were really grateful, you'd help me in pranking his royal Majesty. It's been too long since the last prank, and I think he's getting careless."

"I think you're right, Sir Gwaine" said Merlin, happy that the conversation took such a cheerful turn "As our king, Arthur must always be ready for everything. And as his subjects, we must do everything we can to ensure that he is always vigilant."

"Spoken like a true advisor to the king" said Gwaine "so, do you have any ideas then?"

"For pranking his royal Majesty?" asked Merlin, his eyes twinkling with mischief "Always."


	14. Chapter 14

"Be safe, Arthur, and come home to me."

'Gunievere' said Arthur softly, as he was rereading the final words of his wife's letter for the fifth time. He had been preoccupied with the letter for several hours now. In the letter, Gwen had mentioned the plan that she and Gwaine had come up with. Arthur understood the plan, and was meaning to ask Gwaine about the finer details. He didn't want to wake the knight though. He knew that Gwaine desperately needed to rest. So he waited, and while he waited he read his wife's letter again and again. He missed her, and her loving words were giving him the hope and support only she could provide.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Hello princess" said Gwaine, before Arthur even had the chance to greet him.

"Gwaine" said the king, standing up "I thought you were still asleep."

"I'm well rested, thank you" said Gwaine "Ah, I see you've read the letter."

"I read it yes, and I wanted to talk to you about it, I think that we shoul…"

"We will talk about it, of course" interrupted Gwaine "but there's something else you need to do first."

"What could possibly be more important?" asked Arthur impatiently.

"He's awake." stated Gwaine "Go" he continued, watching the confused king "We'll discuss the plan later, Arthur. Now go."

The dashing knight laughed as he watched the king hurrying towards the cave. He then made his way towards the camp fire, where he merrily greeted the knights who were awake.

"Ah, Sir Robert" he said, making his way to where the young knight was sitting "I must thank you for looking after my friend while I was resting."

"It was no problem, really" said Sir Robert, petting the hawk gently "She's wonderful."

"Well of course she is." said Gwaine, now petting the hawk himself "Come here Hawky. This mead isn't going to drink itself, and I can tell that the lads have been dying to hear about my adventures again."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-In Camelot_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"The 'Peaceful Society'." said Gwen "I thought that people like them no longer lived in these lands."

It had been a day since Gwaine, Allan and Thane had left Camelot. If all went according to plan, they would have reached Arthur's camp by now. Gwen was hopeful that she would receive a message from them soon. For now, all she could do was wait. And, seeing as her duties for the day were done, she was now in Gaius' chambers.

"There are always people like them, Gwen." said Gaius, who was sitting on the small wooden bench, looking out the window "People who are full of hate, closed minded and stubborn, ready to wage wars and kill, if it will get them what they want."

Gwen didn't say anything in response, for she knew Gaius was right. There would always be hateful people in the world. She only hoped people like that would never win.

They sat in silence for some time, each lost in their own thoughts. The first to break the silence was Gaius.

"It is strange" he started "that these people went after Merlin."

"What do you mean?"

"'The Peaceful Society'" started Gaius "from we've gathered, are a society who pride themselves for their hatred of magic. Their members, although many of them not fighters themselves, would support an attack like this."

"But something doesn't feel right to you, I take it?"

Gaius gave the Queen a little smile "You know me too well, Gwen. You're right, something doesn't feel right. Although they officially don't exist, Gwaine said that many of the citizens in the kingdom knew that the 'Society' existed, and they knew their firm stand against magic. It is strange to me, that an organization like that would not try to organize an attack before the signing of the treaty."

"Maybe they thought that they would never succeed." said Gwen "The guards must have been doubled when the signing was taking place."

"Yes, you're right." Agreed Gaius "Still, it is strange. I would have thought they would at least try. This treaty goes against everything they believe in. They would want to attack Merlin, yes. But I think that stopping the signing would be higher on their list of priorities."

"You think that they were after Merlin then?" asked Gwen, following Gaius' train of thought.

"I think that whoever hired them was after Merlin." answered Gaius "Many people have grudges against him. Maybe one of them finally decided to do something about it."

"We can't be sure of this, Gaius" said Gwen.

"It is one of the possibilities, at least" said Gaius, his words followed by a long tired sigh. He stood up and he slowly moved towards the window. As he reached it, he put his hands on the window frame. "Nothing is certain, except for the fact that someone out there wanted to hurt Merlin. I may be right Gwen. Or I might be wrong, and these are just the ramblings of an old fool. An old fool who can do nothing but sit and wait."

Forgetting her own sadness for a moment, the Queen walked over to her old friend.

"Merlin will be all right, Gaius." she said, as she came to stand beside him. "He is strong, and there are people with him who will help him get better."

Gaius turned his head and looked at her. He looked at her with the same cold and detached look he always had when they were dealing with a crisis. Years of friendship and respect for the man in front of her had given her the ability to look past his mask though, and as he looked at her, silent and unmoving, she could see the amount of pain he was feeling.

She would have wanted nothing more than to listen to him, as he talked about his pain and the things that were now weighing so heavily on his old shoulders. But she knew that talking wasn't what Gaius needed now. So she gave the old man a hug.

"I'll be in my chambers Gaius. Don't hesitate to call me if there's anything I can do." And with these words she left the old man alone with his thoughts. She hoped that her words and the hug had given at least a little comfort to the man.

-_-_-_-_-_-Somewhere on the road connecting Arthur's camp and King Robin's kingdom_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

A young man wearing dark green robes was galloping along the road. He was riding as fast as he could, even though he had no clear destination in mind. His mission was clear, he had to find them and deliver the message. The information he had was vital in understanding and predicting the enemy's next move. With any luck, he would find them soon.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur made his way through the cave's entrance. Gwaine had only said that Merlin was awake. He hadn't mentioned anything about the condition Merlin was in, and while he was fairly certain that Gwaine would have mentioned if something was wrong, he had to check for himself. What if the cure hadn't worked? What if Merlin was…

Fortunately, his mind didn't have the time to imagine that horrible scenario. As soon as he entered the cave, he saw Merlin. His friend was alive. And not only that, but he was awake, sitting with his back against the cave wall. A small fire was burning near him, and he was using the fire's flames to create a dragon silhouette. But the thing that made Arthur the happiest was the smile on Merlin's face. It was a smile he hadn't seen since before the attack. And for the past few days, he wasn't sure he'd ever see it again.

"Arthur" said Merlin, who noticed Arthur in that moment. His concentration broke, and the flaming dragon disappeared, leaving only ordinary flames in its place.

"Hello Merlin" said Arthur. He was fairly certain that the huge smile that was on Merlin's face was mirrored on his own face as well.

"How are you feeling?" asked Arthur, after he sat down next to small fire.

"I'm good" answered Merlin "Better than good, actually. I can use magic again, Arthur."

Arthur marveled at the amount of joy that was radiating from Merlin as he said those words. He knew that magic was a part of Merlin, and he knew how powerful Merlin really was. But he sometimes forgot how much Merlin loved having magic, and how much he enjoyed using it for simple things. Watching Merlin's eyes shine with their golden glow, as he again transformed the fire into a dragon, he was reminded how much Merlin must have suffered. To have something you love so much being taken away from you… Arthur was just glad that Merlin got his magic back.

"I'm glad you're all right" said Arthur, as he watched the flaming dragon. Merlin was now making the dragon fly above their heads. Arthur looked at Merlin again, and asked "What about your wound? Does it still hurt?"

"I barely feel the pain now." answered Merlin, not talking his eyes off the dragon "It didn't hurt much when I awoke a few hours ago, and now, it hurts even less. My magic is healing me."

"That's good. So you'll be fit to travel soon, then?"

"I think so." confirmed Merlin. He made the dragon do pirouettes in the air for a few minutes. The two friends said quietly for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. Then Merlin guided the dragon to land in front of Arthur. The little dragon gave Arthur a little bow. Merlin made a circular motion with his hand, and the little dragon's flames disappeared.

"You made it bow to me?" asked Arthur, a little surprised "I don't recall you ever bowing to me."

The last remark was said as a joke, one of the many the two friends have said over the years. Arthur was sure Merlin would laugh, and reply with an insult, or a joke. He was once again surprised, however, when Merlin gave him a long and solemn look.

"The bow" said the warlock "was a sign of respect. I respect what you did Arthur, and I am grateful. You saved my life."

"Merlin…" started Arthur, even more surprised than before "Of course I would have tried to save you. And besides, Gwaine was the one who brought the cure, I only…"

"You" interrupted the Merlin, with a powerful, yet gentle voice "only made the decision to make this journey with a wounded man. You defended me when we were attacked, you brought me to safety, and you kept me alive."

"But Merlin…"

"I know that Gwaine was the one who brought the cure from Camelot." said Merlin "And I am thankful to him as well, of course. I already thanked him. I am grateful to all the knights, who fought and kept me safe. I am grateful to Gaius and Gwen, for making the cure, and sending all the needed medicine and provisions back in time. I am grateful to them, and to each of them, I will give my thanks personally. But I am thankful to you as well, and you must know that."

"There's no need to thank me" said Arthur "As we both know, you've saved me countless times. If nothing else, I owed you this."

"It doesn't matter how many times I've saved you. What matters is that you risked everything to save me now. Even though it was probably a stupid decision. So just accept my gratefulness, you prat."

The familiar word brought a smile to Arthur's face.

"I'll have to accept it, then. You rarely behave with the respect needed when addressing the king. I guess we can blame your current manners to you not being fully recovered yet."

"Always so wise, Sire" said Merlin, his usual jovial tone now back in full strength "Remind me if I am mistaken, but didn't you and Sir Gwaine make fun of my dancing? I seem to recall you dancing with Gwen, at the celebration you held last year, and if I'm not mistaken, I seem to remember you tripping and falling down…"

"That was one time, Merlin!" yelled Arthur, his face now red with embarrassment "I am the better dancer of us two, and I will prove it, just as soon as we get back to Camelot."

"Well, I am all for it, but I am not so certain if Gwen will concede to dance with you again. You did step on her toes quite a bit the last time you…"

"Oh shut up, you idiot, you'd be lucky if you even manage to convince someone to dance with you…"

"Unlike you Arthur, I can be charming, and I will not have a problem in finding a dance partner…"

The king and the warlock continued their civilized conversation for a few more hours. It relaxed them, and they almost forgot that there was a person out there who was plotting to hurt them. And this person was getting closer with each passing moment.


	15. Chapter 15

-_-_-_At Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"We" started Arthur, his finger pointing to a location on the map "are here. We're surrounded by trees, the cave is well hidden, and we are relatively close to the main road. We know that the enemy is here." he said, pointing to another place on the map "So far, they haven't sent any scouts, nor have they showed any signs of getting ready to attack. As it seems, they have no idea that we are so near them."

"Maybe they're waiting" said Sir Leon "they could have already sent out scouts, before they made their camp there. Maybe they're waiting for information."

A few pair of eyes looked at Leon now. For a moment, Arthur's optimistic assessment of the situation gave them hope. Leon's grim, but realistic view shattered that hope in an instant.

"That is one possibility" said Arthur "but so far, we have no indication to believe that the enemy knows of our location. Even so, we must be careful at all times. Leon" said the King, as he raised his head to look at his second in command "you sent Tristane to follow the villagers?"

"Yes Sire " confirmed the knight "I told him to follow them for a mile or two, just to be sure that they're not working for the enemy. He should be getting back soon."

"Good" said Arthur "And now, Sir Allan, Sir Thane and Sir Gwaine. Tell us about the Queen's plan."

"Of course, Sire" said Sir Allan. He, Thane and Gwaine approached the rock where the map was placed. They kneeled next to Arthur, and the other knights came to stand closer, forming a circle around the rock.

"When I started explaining the situation to the Queen" started Gwaine "she wanted to send reinforcements immediately. But as I explained that Merlin's life hanged in the balance, and that speed and stealth were of the utmost importance, she reconsidered. She understood, so she agreed that it would be best if she didn't send the reinforcements right away. But even as we speak, forty knights stand ready at Camelot, waiting to leave at a moment's notice."

After Gwaine finished speaking, Sir Allan took out a piece of parchment, some ink and a quill.

"The Queen said" continued Allan "that we should write her a letter. We should tell her the exact location, time and place, and she'll sent the knights there immediately."

"And I suppose" said Arthur, looking at Gwaine "that your new friend will deliver the letter?"

"Of course" said Gwaine, petting the hawk, who was now standing on his right shoulder. "Hawky won't let us down."

"I'm sure" said Arthur. He gave the bird a suspicious look, before looking back at the map "Well, I'm not sure if we need all forty of them, but some reinforcements are a good idea."

"Do you plan on attacking the enemy's camp, my Lord?" asked Percival.

"I have been thinking about it" answered Arthur "But I am still not certain."

"If we attack" said Gwaine "we'll give away our position!"

"Yes" said Leon "But they might find us anyway. If we attack first, we'll have the element of surprise on our side."

"Arthur" said Gwaine, the anger rising up in his voice "You know I'm always up for a good fight. But think about this. They don't know where we are. We could slip away, quickly and unnoticed. They're after Merlin, and we have the chance to get him far away, before they even notice."

"And what if they ambush us in the forest?" asked Sir Thane "Ours is not a small party, and if they ambush us, they could hurt Merlin."

"I still think that getting Merlin away from here is the best option" said Gwaine stubbornly.

"I understand you're concerned about Merlin, Gwaine" said Percival "but I agree with Sir Thane. What if they ambush us? We would have to be really quick if want to slip away unnoticed, and we don't even know if Merlin is well enough to travel…"

"Ahem" said a mysterious voice behind them. The knights pulled out their weapons, being taken by surprise, ready to attack whoever that voice belonged to. As it turned out, that voice belonged to no other than Merlin. He was standing a few meters behind them, leaning against the small tree next to him.

"So" said Arthur, relieved and a bit surprised "My lessons weren't for nothing after all. Who would have thought that you could be sneaky enough to surprise Camelot's knights."

"You are too generous with your compliments, Sire." said Merlin. He was looking a lot better now, albeit a little worn out. The last time Arthur saw him was when they talked in the cave. They had talked for a long time. Eventually, Merlin had fallen asleep.

"Should you be standing up yet?" asked Leon, as he and several other knights approached Merlin.

"Probably not" said Merlin, smiling "but I just couldn't sit in that dark cave any longer."

"Sit here" offered Percival, as he lifted the map from the rock.

"Thanks" said Merlin, as he slowly made his way towards the rock. He sat on it, and Arthur was pleased that Merlin showed no signs of feeling any pain.

"Has your wound healed?" he asked.

"Yeah" answered Merlin, putting his hand on the place where he had been stabbed "I can't feel any pain now."

"How do you feel, in general?" asked Arthur, with an unusually gentle tone of voice.

"I'm fine" answered Merlin "I just feel a little tired and weak. But I'll be better by tomorrow."

"Will you be able to travel soon?" asked Gwaine.

"I think so" said Merlin. He looked at the knights for a few moments "I overheard your plans." He said, with a solemn voice.

The knights gave each other short looks, not sure about what they should say. Arthur was the first to speak up.

"Merlin" he said, as he came to stand closer to where Merlin was sitting "Whatever our plan, you needn't worry. All of us know you're not in your best shape yet, none of us expects you to fight. We'll protect you."

"I know that, and I'm thankful. To all of you." said the warlock, looking at the knights before him "I also understand the gravity of our situation. So I need you to do as you promised you would, Arthur."

Seeing the confused look on Arthur's face made Merlin smile. But this was a serious matter, and Merlin became serious once again, before continuing "You promised that you'd protect me Arthur, and you have done that. But you also promised that you wouldn't forget about doing what's best for everyone, not just me. "

"Whatever your plan" said the warlock, looking first at Arthur, and then the knights "Do what's best for all of us."

Most of the knights silently nodded their heads in agreement. Arthur looked at all of them, and then back at the map.

"I need to think" he said, not taking his eyes of the map "We'll meet back here in two hours. Resume with your duties until then."

The knights walked away, and Gwaine was about to do the same, when Arthur grabbed him by his forearm.

"Gwaine" he said, looking the knight directly in the eyes "You stay".

Gwaine gave the King a somewhat agitated look. They held the gaze for a few seconds, before the knight jerked his arm away. He sat down on the grass, next to the rock Merlin was sitting on, and he stayed silent. Arthur gave a big sigh, before he also sat down on the grass.

"This is a difficult decision." he started saying, looking at his two friends. "But I think that we should face our enemies now."

Merlin just nodded his head, waiting for Arthur to continue. Gwaine however, raised his head, and with an angry voice, started talking "You're wrong Arthur. We're not ready. They could surprise us, we should head back to Camelot…"

"Gwaine…" started Merlin, trying to get his friend to calm down. His voice was drowned by Arthur's however.

Merlin tried to get his friends to stop fighting, but as he listened to their arguments, he realized they needed this. He knew he had come close to dying, and that knowledge was something he was still recovering from. He just hadn't realized how much it had affected his friends as well. They carried so much anger inside of them. They weren't angry at each other, but that anger needed to be let out. And if yelling at each other was what the easiest way to do that, so be it. And so, Merlin sat there, listening to his friends argue for about ten minutes, getting more heated and angry with each new argument.

"You saw him!" said Gwaine. He and Arthur were now both standing up, and Gwaine's voice was becoming louder and more emotional "You saw how bad he got, Arthur, and how we barely saved him. And now you want to attack these people! You know how determined they are, how badly they want to hurt him, and now, you'd risk a war with them, instead of getting Merlin back to safety…"

"Of course I know how determined they are, Gwaine!" yelled Arthur, his voice now thundering over Gwaine's. The loudness of his voice attracted the attention of several knights who were sitting not too far, but Arthur didn't seem to care.

"Don't you think I know that?" asked the King, his voice full with raw emotion "Do you think I've forgotten how they poisoned him? Or how they stabbed him? Do you think I've forgotten how they chased us, and how close they came to fulfilling their goal?"

"Do you think" and he now looked at Merlin, his voice suddenly losing all its force, the anger being replaced by sadness "I've forgotten how he nearly…"

"Arthur" said Merlin softly. The King looked away from him, and turned to look at the ground instead. Merlin could see the small tears in Arthur's eyes. He didn't say anything, though. Now was not the time for him to speak. Gwaine and Arthur needed to settle this themselves.

"Gwaine" said Arthur, looking at the knight, his voice low and honest "I know what they can do to us. I know what we risk. But we can't run from them, not forever, you know that. Even if we make it Camelot, they will never stop. We have a chance, a good chance, to beat them now. We have to take it. "

Gwaine said nothing for a few moments. He just looked at Arthur, silently inspecting his face. "I trust you Arthur." he said, his voice low "You haven't let me down in the past, and I will follow you no matter what. Just tell me you're sure this is the best course of action."

"I think this is the right decision." said Arthur.

"All right then" said the knight. For a moment he just stood there, before turning to look at Merlin, who was now also standing up.

"I'm sorry Merlin" he started apologizing "I shouldn't have behaved like this, I'm…"

"Gwaine" said the warlock, putting a reassuring hand on Gwaine's shoulder "It's all right." He smiled, trying to cheer up and reassure Gwaine. He could see the sadness in Gwaine's eyes, and he blamed himself for it.

"I understand." he said, still smiling. It worked, and he could see his smile mirrored on Gwaine's face.

"Ah well" said the knight after a few moments "If there's nothing else, I have a few things I need to take care of. I'll come back to take your letter, Sire, when you're done writing it."

Arthur gave a small nod with his head, and that was all Gwaine needed to take off in the direction of the campfire.

"Arthur…" said Merlin, now turning to the King "are you all right?"

Arthur just looked him over. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

"Arthur…"

"I'm fine, Merlin, never better." said Arthur, dismissing any chance of continuing that conversation. Knowing how stubborn Arthur was, Merlin tried another topic.

"Do you think that we'll need all forty knights?"

"The more, the better" answered Arthur quickly, grateful for the change in topic "But it would take longer for forty knights to arrive here, and they would attract more attention. Maybe it would be better if only thirty, or twenty, came."

"I think that the more knights you have, the better" said Merlin, his voice nervous and unsure. He was looking at the map in Arthur's hands now, his eyes darting from one location to another.

"Merlin" asked Arthur "what are you thinking?"

"I have a feeling we're forgetting something" said Merlin, looking up at the trees surrounding them. "Or not forgetting, but missing something, something right in front of us, something so obvious…".

Arthur looked at his advisor. Merlin was different now, older, but at the moment he looked just as he did all those times in the past, when he had tried to warn Arthur about some danger.

"One of your funny feelings again?" asked Arthur, looking at Merlin, a small smile on his face. Merlin looked back at him, smiling a bit himself.

"Yeah" he answered "one of those feelings again."

"Well then" said Arthur, as he rolled up the map and put it in his bag "I'll take that into consideration. I'll talk it over with Leon as well, see what he thinks of it. And I'll let you know what I decide."

Merlin nodded his head. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, and he yawned.

"Come on" Arthur said, gently nudging Merlin by the shoulder "go and get your rest. I know how lazy you are, Merlin, you can't fool me."

All he got for an answer was an irritated look, but it was enough to make the king smile.

-_-_-_-_-Somewhere in the woods where Arthur's camp is located-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sir Tristane was tired. He knew how important his mission was. But so far, the two villagers he was tasked with following had done nothing out of the ordinary. He'd been following them for the last day, and all they'd done was walk, stop to rest, and continue walking again. One of them would nervously glance back from time to time, bur Tristane considered that normal. After all, they were two defenseless villagers alone in a forest. Who wouldn't be a little frightened in their place?

His mission seemed to be nearing its end, however. From behind the trees, where he walked as to remain unnoticed, he could see that soon the small road would connect to a bigger road that turned right. Tristane knew that the bigger road led to Robin and Ouida's kingdom, and seeing as no one was around, he was sure that the villagers weren't working with their enemy.

After a few more minutes of walking, the villagers finally reached the point where the smaller road connected to the bigger one. They looked to the left of the bigger road. That way lead to where the enemy's camp was, and for a moment, Tristane was worried that they would turn left. That would mean they really were working with the enemy. But the moment passed, and the two villagers turned right, heading down the road that lead straight to the kingdom. Satisfied with that, Tristane turned back, eager to get back to his camp.

He didn't get too far though, before he heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the road.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Two hours after their last meeting, the knights and their King met again. Merlin was absent from this meeting, as he was back in the cave, sleeping and resting. Arthur had consulted with Leon, and after much thought, he had finally come to a decision. He was currently standing in front of his knights, who were all sitting on the grass in front of him.

"I've decided" he started "That the best course of action is to attack. The enemy is close, we have the element of surprise, and soon, reinforcements from Camelot will arrive. I've sent a letter to Queen Guinevere, telling her where we'll be. And if Gwaine's bird…"

"Hawky!" Interjected Gwaine, who had returned to his more usual laid back mood.

"If… Hawky" continued Arthur, a little annoyed at the interruption "is as fast as Gwaine claims, Guinevere will receive our letter by morning."

"And now" said Arthur, settling down on the grass himself "If there aren't any questions, Leon will explain the details of our plan."

-_-_-_-_-_Near the woods where Arthur's camp is located_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The two young people were nervously walking down the road, looking over their shoulder from time to time. No one was following them, and yet, every sound, every little movement of the leaves was terrifying. The stranger should have been here by now, they had done all that was asked of them. And yet no one was here, no one met them…

They were alone until a figure suddenly stepped out in front of them, causing Deana to take a step back, and for Sam to let out a frightened yell.

"Silence!" said the stranger "Little fool, I should have your tongue for that…"

"Please!" asked Deana, standing protectively in front of her brother "It was a mistake! Please don't hurt him, we did as you asked."

"That you did" said the stranger, calming down "I will spare your foolish brother. You kept your end of the bargain. And I shall keep mine."

The stranger reached inside their cloak, searching for something. Deana was hopeful that the hood would fall of the stranger's head, or that the scarf that masked the lower half of the face would loosen up, but to no avail. Every piece of garment stayed in its place.

Deana was no closer to solving the mystery that had plagued her ever since the mysterious stranger had met them. 'Is this stranger a man or a woman? Why can't I tell?' thought Deana. Every inch of the stranger's body was covered with clothes. The hands were covered with gloves, the head with a hood, and the face with a scarf. The only part of the stranger that was left uncovered were the stranger's eyes. If anyone were to ask them later what colour those eyes were, neither Sam nor Deana could give you a truthful answer. The only thing they could remember was that those eyes were one of the most beautiful, and yet most intense eyes that they have ever seen. It seemed those eye could look straight into your soul.

Even the stranger's voice was hard to decipher. It was clear and intelligent, and yet, masked somehow. You couldn't tell if it belonged to a woman or a man, or even if this stranger was old or young. The stranger was taller than Sam and Deana, but then again, both of them weren't very tall. So the stranger could very well be a taller woman, or a not so tall man.

Deana's thoughts were cut short when the stranger took two objects out of their cloak. The first object was a letter. The second was a little velvet pouch.

"Here" said the stranger "take these items. Continue down the road, and you will meet a man dressed in dark green robes. Show him the letter and the pouch, so he'll know I've sent you. Give him the letter, and you're free to continue on your way. This little pouch contains your reward, but don't open it until you reach your village. Do you understand?"

"Yes" said Deana, as she received the two items in her hands. After she examined the small pouch, she handed it over to her brother. After examining it himself, Sam said "We understand."

"Good." said the stranger "Now go."

Sam and Deana continued on their way, their fear now forgotten. Nothing was more important than their task.


	16. Chapter 16

-_-_-_At Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was late in the night. Most of the knights that weren't keeping guard were sleeping. It was a couple of hours before sunrise, and everything was calm and quiet. Merlin and Leon were one of the rare members of Arthur's party that were currently awake. They were sitting in the cave now. Leon was going over their battle plans once again, and Merlin was keeping him company.

"We'll ambush them" said Leon, as he explained the details of the plan. "We'll position ourselves around their camp, and wait for the reinforcements from Camelot to arrive. Our hope is that the battle will be short, and that they'll surrender once they realize we outnumber them."

"Surrender." repeated Merlin, his voice low "Yes, the ideal thing would be for them to surrender. No blood will be spilled."

"Merlin?" asked the knight, as he noticed the Warlock was staring at the fire in front of them "Is something wrong?"

"No, no" said Merlin, waving his hand in a dismissing motion "The plan is a good one. It's a good thing" he paused, a small smile forming on his lips "That even after everything, Arthur still wants to avoid killing. Many kings wouldn't even think about letting the enemy surrender. But not Arthur."

Leon wanted to say something, but he felt that it was best to keep silent. Merlin was still looking at the fire, focused on the flames, as if he was trying to see something that was hiding behind the flames.

"Look out for him, Leon." said Merlin suddenly, lifting his eyes to look straight at the knight. Merlin's intense gaze was now focused on Leon. Frankly, it was a little unnerving.

"But Merlin" Leon asked, now confused "Aren't you coming with us? You said that you were feeling well. The plan was for you to stay in the camp until we have surrounded the enemy's camp, and until we knew it was safe. Arthur said that he wouldn't risk you being in danger, and seeing as you can't fight yet, Gwaine was to stay with you for protection. And after the enemy was surrounded you were to join us, and then…"

"Yes" said Merlin, interrupting the knight "I know the plan. And I have every intention of joining you and standing by Arthur's side. I actually feel good enough to fight. But of course" said Merlin, before Leon could interrupt him "I know that Arthur would kill me if I even suggested that."

"Well then, what's the problem?"

"I feel like we're missing something, Leon" said Merlin, worry creeping into his voice "and I fear that something will happen. That's why I asked you to look out for Arthur."

"Of course I will look after our King." said Leon in a comforting tone "I was Arthur's protector long before he ever met you."

"I know." said Merlin, smiling "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Get some rest now." Said the knight, as he stood up and headed for the cave's entrance "Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Leon exited the cave and headed to the campfire. After he laid out the soft blanket on the ground, he laid down on it, knowing he would need his full strength for the day that awaited them.

-_-_-_-_-Somewhere in the woods where Arthur's camp is located-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

For a second he thought he was imagining things, but then he heard it again: Horse hooves. Someone was approaching down the road. Was it the enemy? The enemy's spies? Sir Tristane had to check.

He came to stand at the edge of the forest, hidden behind the trees, but close enough so he could see the road. The sound of horse hooves was getting louder and louder, and soon enough, a rider appeared. Tristane's heart sank when he saw that the rider's clothes were dark green. The same dark green as their attackers had worn.

He pulled out his small bow and arrow. He would shoot an arrow at the horse, and then while the rider was disoriented from the fall, Tristane would take him out as well.

Tritane took his aim. He waited for the rider to get close enough, and when he did, Tristane took his shot. The arrow pierced the horse's skin, causing the horse to fall down. The rider fell down with it, and Tristane ran out of his hiding place.

He approached the rider, who was currently trying to regain some balance in his feet, but not succeeding. He punched him in the stomach, and when the rider doubled over, Tristane caught him by his jacket.

"This is for Arthur" he said, and he raised his sword to deliver the final blow.

"Wait! I'm not who you think I am!" said the rider, causing Tristane to stop the sword, so close to reaching its mark.

"Well then" said Tristane, as he tightened his grip on the rider "Let's hear it. Who are you?"

-_-_-_At Camelot-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was a peaceful night in Camelot. Most of the people who lived in the castle were asleep. The Queen, however, was not one of them. She was currently sitting on a chair, next to the window, alone in her and Arthur's chambers. A few hours ago, she had received Arthur's letter. Forty knights were ready to leave at first light, as per Arthur's instructions. She had even fed Gwaine's bird, Hawky, and the bird was now resting in Gaius' chambers.

Gwen felt completely frustrated and useless. What was the point in being Arthur's wife and Camelot's Queen, if all she could do was sit and wait? Maybe she could leave Camelot with the knights?

Of course, the reasonable voice in her head told her that she wasn't useless. The voice also told her that someone had to stay and rule Camelot in Arthur's place. And at the moment, Gwen hated that voice of reason very much.

-_-_-_-_-Somewhere in the woods where Arthur's camp is located-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Please" said the mysterious rider "Don't hurt me, King Robin sent me, I have an important message for King Arthur!"

"Your clothes" said Sir Tristane, his sword now dangerously close to the rider's throat "Explain them."

"It was the king's idea" said the rider, his gaze now focused on Tristane's sword "The king suggested I dressed as the enemy, so if they met me, I could pretend I was one of them."

"Not the best plan. What if I were one of the enemy's soliders?" asked Tristane. "I doubt that you could have come up with a convincing lie on the spot. And what if you are telling the truth? Me, or one of the other knights could easily assume you were the enemy, and kill you before you had a chance to explain yourself."

The rider's face went completely white for a few seconds "I admit, there were some risks. But it was the king's idea, and he was adamant that it would work."

Sir Tristane held the sword to the rider's throat for a few more moments, deciding whether he should trust this stranger. But time was not a luxury he had, and if it turned out that this man was lying, he would personally drive his sword through the stranger's heart. So he lowered his sword, and he offered a hand to the rider.

"What is this message then?" asked Tristane, as the rider stood up.

"The King and the Queen have deciphered the writing on those purple pouches. Apparently, it's some sort of spell. I have a letter." he said, as he slowly took out a letter from his pocket "But I was instructed to only hand it over to the King or to the Warlock Merlin."

"All right then" said Tristane, as he put his sword back into the scabbard. "I've been heading away from the King's camp for almost a day now. Seeing as I killed your horse, and I apologize for that, we'll have to head back to the camp on foot. If we hurry, we could be there in a few hours."

"All right then, let's go."

"But I warn you," said Tristane "if you really are working with the enemy, or if you try to hurt anyone, I will kill you."

The frightened rider just nodded his head. Satisfied with that, Tristane took off in the direction of the camp, the terrified rider following shortly behind him.

-_-_-_At Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Arthur was already awake when the sun rose over the small forest where they were camping. 'The knights would have left Camelot by now' he thought, as he watched the camp around him come alive. His knights were slowly getting up, readying themselves for the day ahead of them.

The King was sitting on the grass, his back leaned on to a tree. He was looking straight ahead, lost in his thoughts, as he felt someone sitting down on the grass next to him.

"I thought you were still asleep" he said as he turned to look at his friend.

"I've slept enough, I think." said Merlin "What's on your mind, Arthur?"

"Do you think we have a chance?" asked the King.

"Yes, I do." answered the Warlock "I think the plan is good. And I believe in you, Arthur. You know that I always have."

He offered a small smile, and it was enough to make the king smile as well.

Several hours went by. The knight had been preparing themselves for battle. It was already past midday, when Arthur gave the order to move out. The knights gathered their weapons, and one by one they left the camp, heading in the direction of the enemy's camp. Arthur and Percial were the last to leave.

"Follow the plan. And don't" said the King, looking at Gwaine, and then at Merlin "do anything stupid."

"Of course Arthur" said both men at the same time, offering their most reassuring smiles.

"We'll follow the plan, don't worry." added Merlin, in an effort to ease Arthur's anxiety. His effort was in vain, as Arthur left the camp as worried as he'd ever been.

The knights and the King left the camp as quietly as they could. They were soon out on the open road. As they made their way to the enemy's camp, they were met by one of the younger knights, Wesley, who was serving as their scout. The knight was tired, and could barely breathe. It was evident that he had been running for some time now.

"Sir Wesley" said Arthur, as he helped the young knight to sit down on a fallen tree trunk "Why were you running?"

"Sire… I was kee… I was keeping watch.." said Sir Wesley, trying desperately to catch his breath "I was at my post, Sire.. down.. Down the road…"

"Easy, Wesley…"

"Sire, they're… They're on the move. The enemies, they've left their camp, all thirty of them, and they're on their way here!"

"They've left the camp?" asked Arthur "Why? How did they know where our camp was?"

He was starting to panic. This was bad, very bad. Did the enemy know where they were? Or were they just going in this direction, hoping they would find them?

Either way, it didn't matter. It was too late to turn back now. They still had a chance, and they had to take it.

Before the others could start panicking as well, Arthur spoke to them: "Everyone, listen! I know that this is not according to our plan. But we can still ambush them. Sir Wesley said that they're heading this way. The trees can provide cover for us. Get ready, they'll soon be here."


	17. Chapter 17

-_-_-_Back at Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Merlin and Gwaine were gathering the last of the supplies that were left in the camp. All of the blankets, maps, and everything else that had been left behind by the knights, was now packed on the saddles of the three horses they had left. Merlin was now extinguishing the campfire, and Gwaine was polishing his sword. A sudden rustling in the nearby trees caused both men to jump to their feet, ready to attack.

"It's me, Tristane" said a voice, and a few moment later, Sir Tristane and another men emerged from behind the trees.

"It's good to see you, Tristane" said Gwaine, as he lowered his sword. He then turned to the men walking behind Tristane "Who is he?"

"He's a messenger" said Tristane, as he said down on the ground to rest "he says his name is Pacey, and he claims that King Robin has a message for you, Merlin."

"For me?" asked Merlin, looking at the messenger.

"Yes Sir, for you and for King Arthur." answered Pacey "Is the King here?"

"I'll meet with the King shortly." said Merlin "You can give the message to me."

"All right. Here is a letter from the King and Queen" said Pacey, as he handed the letter to Merlin "They've deciphered the text on the velvet pouches that the attackers had on them."

"So, what is it?" asked Gwaine.

"Well it's a spell…" started Pacey, but he stopped when he saw Merlin's eyes widen in shock.

"Merlin?" asked Gwaine, as he put a hand on Merlin's shoulder "What is it?"

"It's a loyalty spell" said Merlin, never taking his eyes off the letter.

"Is that bad?" asked Tristane.

"Very bad" answered Merlin "This means that our enemy is even more powerful than we thought."

"What does this 'loyalty spell' do exactly?" asked Gwaine, looking at the letter which Merlin now handed to him.

"It increases the loyalty of a person" said Merlin, looking nervously at Gwaine and Tristane "It can make a person be loyal to the point of death. I've read about it in some old books. It can increase the loyalty of a person, but only if the person is already attached either to the sorcerer casting the spell, or to the task they've been given to do."

"Well" said Gwaine "that's bad. Do you know who could have cast the spell? Do you know any sorcerers that live in Robin's kingdom?"

"I don't think so, no… According to the legends, only the most powerful of sorcerers had the power to cast the spell, and the knowledge to cast it has been lost for years…" and here he stopped. He remembered something else about the spell… and paired with the emeralds they had found in the small pouches… Could it really be…?

He got quiet, lost in his thoughts, his mind racing with theories and conclusions, as his heart tightened in fear of what this could mean for Arthur and for all of them…

But before he could share any of his thoughts with the others, Gwaine ran to the trees, his sword in hand. Tristane followed him, and they disappeared behind some trees. They emerged after a few moments, and they were accompanied by a woman. The woman was struggling to release herself, but Tristane and Gwaine were holding her by the shoulders with a tight grip.

"She was hiding in the trees when I saw her" explained Gwaine, as the three of them came closer to Merlin and Pacey. "She was just about to turn away and leave, when I caught her. Mind you" he said, as he struggled to keep the woman still "she's quick and strong, if it wasn't for Tristane, she would have gotten away."

The woman finally accepted that she had been captured, and she stopped struggling. She now stood before them, and looked directly at Merlin.

"You filthy sorcerer" she yelled at him "You should have died in the castle. My husband would still be with me, instead of rotting in those dungeons, it's all your fault.."

"If your husband was among those who attacked us" started Gwaine, anger rising up in his voice "then rotting in jail is the best that he deserves!"

"How dare you talk about my husband like that, you ignorant knight, defending magical scum like him, we should kill you all… "

"Gwaine, stop" said Merlin loudly, stopping Gwaine from yelling back at the woman. Gwaine stopped, and stepped back. Merlin took a few steps, and came to stand directly in front of the woman.

"Where is the one who ordered the attack?" asked Merlin. His voice was steady, but the others could sense that he was barely keeping his anger at bay.

"As if I would divulge our secrets to a magic user…" started the woman.

"Enough!" yelled Merlin, his voice now full of rage. His eyes glew gold, and he pointed his hand towards the woman's cape. Out of the inner pocket of her dark green robe, flew a small purple, velvet pouch, with golden writing on it. The pouch levitated, and it landed in Merlin's hand. Merlin took out the emerald out of the bag. He then threw the emerald toward the entrance of the cave, and he threw the small pouch in the other direction.

"Now" said the warlock, his eyes still glowing gold "you will tell me. Where is the one who ordered the attack?"

Up until Merlin threw the emerald and the pouch away, the woman had been staring at Merlin with nothing but hatred in her eyes. But now, she was afraid, and all her bravado had vanished.

"Don't hurt me, please don't.." she started, shrinking away from Merlin "I didn't want to come here, but I had to, please…"

Merlin let out a huge sigh. He relaxed his shoulders, and his eyes returned to their natural colour.

"If you tell me what I need to know" he spoke "you will be unharmed, I promise." His voice now calmer, and Gwaine could now tell that Merlin was trying to calm himself down for the woman's sake.

The woman looked at the men before her, giving them looks that betrayed her distrust. It was clear that as much as she was afraid, she still didn't trust them, least of all the warlock before her. Merlin could see the hatred in her eyes, the hatred for magic, even now, when she was afraid. Seemingly deciding that this was the only option left to her, the woman spoke.

"I don't know who hired me, for I could not see their face. I couldn't tell if they were a woman or a man. They were a little shorter than you" she said, stopping to look Merlin in the eyes "but that is all I can remember about them. This hooded person, they gave me that small pouch, and they ordered me to come here, and spy on your camp."

"How did you know where our camp was?" asked Merlin, his arms now crossed over his chest.

"I didn't know the exact location, but the hooded person knew that it was somewhere around here. They had gotten this information from two other people, and I remember that the hooded one mentioned something about those two people, that one of them was a cowardly fool… Anyway, they were the ones who reported to the hooded one."

"Why" asked Merlin, looking angrily at the woman "why did this hooded person order you to spy on us? And why now?"

"The hooded one wanted to know about your plan of action. When your knights were getting ready to leave, I left and reported that. The hooded person awaited on that hill" and she pointed to one of the hills nearby. Merlin looked at the hill she was pointing at. That hill was directly overlooking the road that Arthur and the knights were headed to. It was the road the lead to the enemy's camp… Anyone who stood atop that hill would have a perfect view of everything that was happening on the road.

"What else?" said Merlin, looking back at the woman. The woman seemed to be hesitating, as if unsure she should divulge anything more.

"On a good day, I would take mercy on you" said Merlin, coming to stand even closer to her "You have been a victim of magic, after all, and no matter what, you would have had my mercy. But now" and his voice deepened, resembling the deep voice he had when he would summon Kilgarah "Now you threaten my friends. And this is your last chance."

He never raised his voice, and his eyes never changed his colour. But something in his voice and his intense gaze made the woman so terrified, she immediately started talking.

"The hooded person, they said I had one more job to do." she said, the fear evident in her voice "If I wanted to free my husband, and get revenge on the magic users that harmed my country, I had to spy on you once more, and tell them where you would go."

"Why me?" asked Merlin.

"You had to be there, said the person, for the final attack. The hooded one ordered a rider, they ordered the rider to prepare the others, for the second attack… I don't know what the second attack is, or even what the first one was. I only knew my mission. When I last saw them, the hooded one was standing on that hill, and they mentioned something to the rider… I think they were waiting for something to happen, something that was about to happen very soon…But that is all, I swear!"

Merlin looked at the woman before him for a few more moments. She was shaking in fear, and he concluded that she really had told him all she knew.

He raised his hand and he pointed it towards her. "Salnes" he said, his words followed by a golden glow of the eyes.

The woman's eyes widened in shock, and she opened her mouth to scream in fear… except no sound came. She noticed this, and she tried again to speak, but nothing. She panicked, opening her mouth, speaking words, most of them curse words, or at least that's what Gwaine thought, according to the movements of her lips. But no matter what, no sound accompanied her words.

"It's temporary." said Merlin "I can't risk you telling anyone else about us, and we have work to do. For now, we'll tie you up in that cave over there."

The woman started making angry faces, and she tried to hit Merlin. He caught her hand, and Gwaine and Tristane restrained her. Gwaine took a rope, and as the two knights tied her hands together, Merlin addressed her.

"I will deal with you when all of this is over."

Gwaine took the woman to the cave, where he tied a rope around her legs, and then he tied that rope to one of the bigger rocks. He tied her hands together as well, but he left a small container of water near her.

"Drink when you're thirsty." he said with a low voice "The cave is hidden, so don't worry about any animals coming here and hurting you. You won't be able to yell for help… And don't bother with the ropes." he added "Merlin put a spell on them so they can't be cut apart."

Gwaine left the cave, and he joined the three men outside. Tristane was talking to Merlin, while Pacey was standing to the side, unsure of what to do.

"I'm telling you, I followed them" said Tristane "The brother and sister met with no one, and I watched them the whole time while they were on the road, I swear I did…"

"I believe you" said Merlin "This hooded stranger must have intercepted them further down the other road. It wasn't your fault." He added, trying to reassure the knight.

"He's right Tristane, you did your duty." said Gwaine, clasping Tristane on the shoulder "What now, Merlin?"

Merlin looked to the hill the woman had previously pointed at.

"This hooded person…" he started "They knew Arthur was getting ready to attack. And what the woman said, about the second attack… Do you think it's possible that there are more of them? Another group of attackers?"

"I think that is a strong possibility, yes." said Gwaine "We have to go and warn Arthur, it's likely he's heading into a trap."

Merlin just nodded his head, before turning to talk to Pacey "We're thankful that you delivered the message. I finally know what we're up against... But we have work to do now, and you needn't put yourself in any unnecessary danger."

"Thank you, Sir" said Pacey "but if it's not any trouble, I'd like to stay and help. I can fight, and I'd like to fight on your side."

"Thank you." said Merlin. His eyes turned gold again, and the emerald and the pouch that had been discarded before slowly floated back to Merlin's hand "Pacey, you will go with Gwaine and Tristane to warn Arthur."

"Wait, Merlin" said Gwaine, now coming to stand directly in front of his friend "Where are you going?"

"I have to stop this, Gwaine" said Merlin, desperation creeping into his voice. "This all started because of me, and now I have to finish it."

"But Merlin, mate…" started Gwaine "you can't! You're barely recovered, you can't go and fight, not now…"

"I'm strong enough, Gwaine" said Merlin, his voice now full of resolution "and I have to stop this person. For you, for Arthur, for Camelot… and for me. And besides, this person has magic, and they will use it to hurt Arthur and the other knights. There is no other way."

Gwaine looked sadly at his friend for a few moments, before he nodded his head.

"All right. If you think this is for the best, go. We'll go and warn Arthur. Tristane" he said "Give Pacey here one of the spare swords. He's going it to need it."

As Tristane led Pacey to where their horses and supplies were, Gwaine turned to Merlin.

"You know who this hooded person is, don't you?"

Merlin looked at the emerald in his hand "I think I do."

"Is this person powerful?" asked Gwaine.

"Yes. Very powerful." answered Merlin, still looking at the emerald.

"Be careful. All right?"

Merlin lifted his head to look at Gwaine.

"Yeah" he said. The Warlock smiled at his friend, and he gave him a hug.

"You be careful, too." said Merlin, as he pulled back from the hug.

"You know me, Merlin" said Gwaine "I'm always careful."


	18. Chapter 18

-_-_-_On the main road, near Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

They sat hidden between the trees, waiting for the enemy's soldiers to arrive. Their first plan had failed even before they had a chance to implement it, so Arthur wasn't really sure what to expect. After half an hour spent crouching and hiding, they heard the noise of about thirty footsteps coming down the road. The sound of clanking armor, feet stomping and horses neighing was getting louder and louder. Soon, Camelot's knights could see the enemies closing in, coming closer and closer down the road. Any minute now, and they would reach their position.

Arthur felt as he always felt before a battle: Nervous, hesitant, but determined to fight until his last breath for what he believed in. So he sat and waited.

Soon, the enemy's soldiers were near. They were passing right in front of them, between the two sides of the road where Arthur's soldiers were hidden.

Arthur gave the signal, and ten arrows pierced through the air. They reached their targets, and ten men fell to the ground, yelling in pain. Before the other twenty or so soldiers realized what was happening, Camelot's finest emerged from behind the trees, ready to take on their enemy. The battle had begun.

_-_-_Somewhere in the forest, near the main road_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Have you ever been in a battle, Pacey?" asked Gwaine, as they walked through the forest.

"Once" answered the messenger, as he was struggling to keep up with the fast pace of Gwaine and Tristane "There was a bandit attack in the village where I grew up, and we fought them off."

"Good man." thought Gwaine, grateful that the young man had at least some fighting experience. They were getting close to the main road now, and they were passing through a clearing in the forest, when Tristane yelled "Stop! Look there!"

The clearing they were currently at was at a somewhat higher ground than the rest of the forest. Because of that, they could see that a group of people, in the northern part of the forest, were heading towards the main road, where they assumed Arthur and his men would be.

"Do you think that this could be the second group of attackers?" asked Tristane.

"I think so." answered Gwaine "We're too late. Unless…" and he stopped for a minute. His plan could work, or it could fail. Anyway, he had to try.

"Give me the bow and arrows" said Gwaine, and Tristane handed him the weapons "What do you need them for? You can't shoot at them from here, they're too far."

"I know that. But I have a plan. You two go and warn Arthur. I'll try to buy us some time."

"Come on Pacey." said Tristane, and both men continued on their path. Gwaine headed north, hoping to reach the enemies before they reached Arthur.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0_0-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The path to the top of the hill was long and tiresome, and yet, Merlin didn't mind. The longer the path was, the longer he could postpone the inevitable meeting between him and his enemy. Merlin thought about what was about to happen. He had a pretty good idea who he was about to face. The emeralds were the final clue… And the loyalty spell.. Well, Merlin had to laugh at the irony of it. That this person would use a loyalty spell? Destiny had a weird sense of humor.

There was always the chance that Merlin was wrong. Maybe when he got there, someone else entirely would be there to face him. Maybe he was about to face more than one person. Or maybe they wouldn't be on that hill at all. It was even possible that Merlin was walking straight into a trap.

The logical part of his brain told him that all of these things were a realistic possibility. But Merlin's heart knew what his logical brain refused to acknowledge. He didn't know how, and he wasn't too sure on the why. But he knew exactly what was waiting for him.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0_0-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

'This isn't so bad' thought Arthur, as he dodged an attack from a tall, red haired soldier 'We actually have a shot at winning this.'

They had been fighting for fifteen minutes now. The enemy's soldiers had been taken by surprise, and even though they were skilled and strong, the element of surprise had done its job. Arthur's knights had the advantage in this battle, and Arthur was actually feeling optimistic.

He dodged another attack from the tall soldier, his axe barely missing Arthur's shoulder. But the soldier was slow, and his axe was heavy. Taking advantage of this, Arthur used the hilt of his sword to hit the enemy on the head. The tall man fell down, disoriented. What surprised Arthur was that after a few moments, the tall man looked up directly at him. Disoriented and confused, the soldier laughed, which puzzled Arthur.

"It's funny." said the man "That you actually think you stand a chance."

This threw Arthur off for a few seconds, which was enough for the soldier to regain his balance. Axe in hand, he took a swing at Arthur, aiming directly at his head. But Arthur was faster. He dodged the attack, and he thrust Excalibur straight into the soldier's heart. The soldier stopped where he stood. And for a moment, before the spark of life had disappeared, there was a trace of fear and surprise in the soldier's eyes. But then it was over, and his tall body fell to the ground.

Arthur looked at the soldier for a few moments, bewildered at what the man had said. Looking around, he could see that his knights had the advantage. Why was it so incredible to think they could win? And why was the soldier so determined that they would lose?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two men emerging from behind the trees. It was Sir Tristane, and another men. Arthur didn't know who the second man was, but seeing as Tristane just slayed a soldier that had tried to hurt the stranger, he figured he could trust him.

"Percival" he yelled to the tall knight next to him "cover me."

Percival nodded his head, and Arthur ran towards Tristane and the stranger.

"Sire" said Tristane "this is Pacey, King Robin's messenger" he explained.

"Why did the King send you?" said Arthur, looking at this Pacey person.

"We'll explain that later, Sire" said Tristane quickly, before Pacey had a chance to say anything "There's another group of attackers, Sire, and they're headed this way."

"What?" asked Arthur, his eyes opening in shock.

"It's true Sire. And Gwaine is headed in their direction."

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"After all of this is over and done with" muttered the brave knight, as he ran through the forest "I'm heading to the taverns for a whole week."

Gwaine had been running for a few minutes now. He knew that his plan was flawed at best, and suicidal at worst. But someone had to do something.

He had been running north, toward the group of soldiers they had seen from the clearing. They had been riding on a smaller, rougher road, that merged with the main road. Gwaine's plan was to make it as far north as he could. Seeing as the southern part of the forest was located on a slope, he had the height advantage. He could see them, and they could not. And luckily, with his bow and arrows, he would be able to do some damage to their ranks. Not too much damage of course. He was one man, after all, and he was still pretty far from them. But he hoped he could at least wound their horses, or scare them into thinking they were being attacked by a bigger group of people.

'Not the best plan, Gwaine' he heard Merlin's worried voice in his head. And he agreed. Even as he stood on a big rock and adjusted his aim with the bow, he knew that this could all turn against him. The enemy would eventually figure out his location, and they would come for him. He could run and change his position of course, but they could still find him.

'At least the princess isn't here to get on my nerves' thought Gwaine, as he pulled the bow's string. He relaxed his grip, and the arrow flew towards the enemy's group. It missed, but it was enough to startle the riders. Gwaine smiled, and he took out another arrow, ready to take aim again.

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"Well of course they did that" said Arthur, his voice dripping with anger and frustration. Tristane and Pacey had told him all about King Robin's message, the loyalty spell, and the mysterious woman that had tried to attack them. Tristane then told him about Merlin's decision, about the second group of attackers they had spotted, and about Gwaine's decision to try to buy them some time. What frustrated Arthur the most wasn't the fact that there was another group on their way to attack them, although that was quite worrisome too. It wasn't even the fact that his closest advisor and one of his best knights had once again made the most stupid decisions possible. No, what frustrated him the most was the fact that apart from the discovery about the loyalty spell, none of these news really surprised him. He really was becoming a pessimist then, when such bad news were something he expected to hear. And to think, only a few minutes ago, he actually thought things were getting better…

Arthur really felt like he needed to punch something, or someone right now. Since his two idiot friends weren't here at the moment, the enemy soldiers would have to do.

"Alright then" he said, raising his head, trying to regain his Kingly posture and voice. He looked around. His knights had nearly defeated the enemies, and only a few more of the enemy soldiers were still fighting. Arthur was pleased to see that most of his knights were unharmed.

"How many people?" he asked, turning to look back at Tristane.

"Thirty or more, Sire" said Tristane "but we couldn't be sure."

"That's not good" said Arthur, again looking at his knights. He had about thirty knights before the attack, but now… Most of them were still alive, but Arthur could see that a few of them hadn't been so lucky. Some had died during the ambush.

Arthur closed his eyes for a few moments, allowing himself a few moments to mourn the lives that had been lost.

"Sire" he heard Leon's voice next to him. As he opened his eyes, he saw Leon looking directly at him.

"Are you alright, Sire?" asked Leon.

"Yes, yes" said Arthur, shaking his head "But we need to make a plan, Leon. And we don't have much time."

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Gwaine had shot quite a few arrows at the enemy group. Some of his arrows had hit their mark, killing the enemy's soldiers. But most of the arrows missed. The enemies had been confused at first, not knowing who or where their opponents were. Unfortunately for Gwaine, the enemy's soldiers weren't complete idiots, and they eventually figured out that he was acting alone. Gwaine changed his location, running from place to place, trying to confuse his enemies, and to lead them in the opposite direction, away from the main road. Figuring out his intentions, the group started riding faster towards the main road, ignoring Gwaine. So Gwaine headed towards the main road as well, occasionally shooting arrows at them.

There was a problem with all of this, and the problem was that as he got closer and closer to the main road, the terrain started to even out. He wasn't on high ground anymore, and that meant that the enemy could spot him more easily now.

Gwaine figured that he had done all he could. His best option was to reach Arthur's army before the enemies reached them. There was no doubt that the enemy knew exactly where Arthur was, so the only thing Gwaine could now do was warn them of the enemies' arrival.

He ran as fast as he could. He thought about hiding, but what good would that do? He had to at least try and get to Arthur on time…

And that's when he felt a sharp pain in his left side. The enemy had shot him with an arrow, and he lost his balance. He fell on the ground, and the impact only made the pain from the arrow worse. He could feel that the wound wasn't too deep. But it would prevent him from fighting, and it would surely slow him down if he tried to run to Arthur's location now.

Going against every instinct he had, Gwaine stayed on the ground, in the same exact position as he had fallen. He heard the enemies' horses getting closer. But they must have seen his unmoving body, and assuming he was dead, they continued on their way.


	19. Chapter 19

_-_-_Somewhere in the forest, near the main road_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As the sound of horse hooves died away, Gwaine slowly lifted his head. There were no enemies around, and he figured it was safe for him to get up.

'Easier said than done' he thought, as he felt a pain in his side. The blasted enemies had wounded him, the arrow protruding out of his side a sharp reminder of that. He slowly lifted his body from the ground, and leaned against a big rock. He knew that the arrow had to come out. Gently putting his hands around the sharp object, he prepared himself for the pain. But even the greatest of poets would have been amazed by the creative threats and curses that rolled out of Gwaine's mouth as he pulled the arrow out. It hurt like hell, but at least it was over.

After examining the wound, Gwaine was relieved to see that it wasn't deep. It didn't look as if the arrowhead was laced with poison either. 'I was lucky' he thought, for he knew that he could have fared much worse. He ripped a piece of his shirt, and he used that to bandage the wound.

After that, Gwaine slowly stood up, grunting at the pain that the movement had caused. Seeing as the enemies were long gone, he slowly made his way down the main road, hoping that Arthur and the knights were still alive.

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"Are you confident this will work, Leon?" asked Arthur, as he took his eyes of the map he was holding to look at his head knight.

"I am" answered the knight.

"I am sorry Sire" spoke Percival, who was standing next to Arthur "But using the same plan again? It seems risky."

"It is our best chance" answered Leon before Arthur had time to open his mouth "The knights are tired, some of them are hurt, and the enemies will be here soon. There's no time to come up with new strategies. And we have no reason to believe that the two groups of enemy soldiers have had any recent contact with each other. We ambushed the first group of soldiers, and it is unlikely that one of them ran away quickly enough to warn the others."

"He's right Percival" said Arthur, pausing slightly as he rolled up the map, before putting it back into his bag "Go and join the knights on the other side."

Percival nodded, and then turned away to hide amongst the trees on the other side of the road.

'He's right' thought Arthur, as he crouched between some bushes. Ambushing the enemy worked the first time, and it was a good plan. But even good plans fail sometimes. The fact that he couldn't remember any famous battles that had been won by using the same strategy two times in a row wasn't exactly comforting to Arthur. So he focused his attention on the road.

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"How the mighty have fallen" said a mysterious voice, to no one particularly. "Using the same plan again? Pathetic."

A slender hand rose up, the palm outstretched towards the forest below. The mysterious voice uttered a few words. The words were quiet and soft, but as they floated away on the wind that had suddenly started blowing, they became louder. Soon, they vibrated through the air, carrying with them a wave of energy. The wave of energy pulsated through the air for a second, reaching out to the main road, and then it disappeared, almost as if nothing had happened.

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Merlin was climbing up the hill. He was getting tired, faster than he thought he would. Even though his magic was healing him, the wound that he had sustained had still done a lot of damage to his body. And then there was the poison… Suffice it to say that yes, maybe he should have rested for a bit longer before, when he had the chance. Was Arthur right about that? Yes. Was he going to admit that to him? Never.

It was then that he felt a powerful wave of energy moving through the air, crashing into him. That energy was magic, and it was strong enough that he almost fell down when he felt it. He managed to hold his balance, using his hand to lean on a nearby tree.

After taking a few seconds, Merlin continued on his way, walking faster than before. The tiredness he had felt only moments before disappeared as soon as that energy wave hit him.

He knew what that energy wave meant. His magic had recognized it, and now his doubts were gone. He knew exactly what was waiting for him on the top of the hill.

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Percival was crouching on the side of the road. A few minutes had passed since Arthur had given the order to hide and wait. He had faith in Arthur, but he still thought that maybe this wasn't the best thing to do. 'Although' he said to himself 'there really wasn't time for planning other things.' So he continued to crouch behind the big oak tree, waiting for something to happen.

A few more minutes passed in silence. As Percival watched the road, he suddenly felt a strange smell in the air. It smelled like… fire? Like something nearby was burning. But what could be burn….

And that's when he saw it. Fire was burning the trees on the opposite side of the road, where Arthur and half of the knights were hiding. Huge flames were threatening to burn his friends, and that's when Percival stood up, ready to shout out a warning…

"Get out!" he heard Arthur's voice before he had a chance to say anything. Arthur ran out of the woods, pointing behind Percival "The forest is burning, get out!"

Percival ran out from behind the oak tree, only now noticing that it too had caught on fire. He was now standing in the middle of the main road, surrounded by all the other knights. Arthur was there too, frantically looking at the forest, yelling "How did this happen? We hadn't lit a fire, it's not possible…"

"Sire look!"

Percival turned his head to see who was yelling. It was Sir Kane, his right hand holding a sword, while his left hand was pointing ahead. And when Percival looked ahead...

'This is bad' he heard Leon saying. Percival had to agree.

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Merlin finally reached the top of the hill, and he looked around. There were a few trees, a small lake, and some rocks. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and no one was there. Or at least no one he could see.

There were a few big rocks near the edge of the plateau. They were high enough that a person could hide behind them. Merlin slowly started approaching the tall rocks. And then something else caught is attention.

The hill he was currently standing on overlooked the forest where Arthur's camp was. It overlooked all the roads in the area, and it had a direct view on the main road. And currently, a small part of the forest near the main road was burning.

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"Sir Tristane."

"Yes Sire?"

"It seems that you were wrong, after all. There are definitely more than thirty people here."

"Indeed, Sire. I apologize."

"Don't be" said Arthur, his shoulders tensing as he gripped the hilt of Excalibur tighter in his hand. "It wouldn't have made a difference anyway."

Camelot's finest were standing face to face with an army of about fifty men. All of them were armed, and most of them were on horses. A few of them were wounded, but most of them were in fighting condition. To the sides of Camelot's knights were the trees, who were currently burning. And if that wasn't enough, a huge burning tree had fallen on the other side of the road, effectively blocking it.

'If we were to run east, west or south, we'll burn. But if we try to fight our way through, we'll most certainly die'. These were the thoughts that were currently bouncing around in Arthur's head.

"Who are you?" he asked the soldiers standing in front of him. He figured he could at least hold them off for a while. Maybe the reinforcements Guinevere had sent would arrive here in time? The chances of that were low, but seeing as he had no other options, he might as well try that.

After the soldiers didn't answer, Arthur asked again, with more conviction in his voice now: "I am King Arthur Pendragon, and I demand that you identify yourselves."

"We know who you are, King Arthur" said one of the men. He was standing at the front of the group, holding a sword in his left hand. "All you need to know about us is that we're here to end your rule."

"Why?" asked Arthur, desperate to keep the conversation going for as long as possible , even though he had a pretty good idea of what their answer might be "What have I ever done to you?"

"You and your filthy sorcerers" said one of the other men, anger creeping into his voice "You allow magic back into you kingdom. Sorcerers from your kingdom will soon come to ours… My daughter was killed by scum like them, and now you give them freedom!"

"It won't be like that, I promise!" yelled Arthur "Magic doesn't have to be bad, I assure you…"

"Enough!" yelled the man who first spoke to Arthur "You are a traitor, Pendragon. And you will pay."

He raised his sword in the air "Kill them all" he yelled.

His men yelled with support, before all of them raised their weapons.

Arthur and his knights watched as fifty strong men came their way. Fire was burning all around them. They had nowhere to run.

"Take your positions!" yelled Arthur, as he watched the enemy's soldiers approach. He and fifteen other men stood in a row, with their swords at the ready, while ten other knights, along with Pacey the messenger, stood in the back. The ten knights in the back had their bows and arrows ready. They released their arrows, and they took down the front row of enemy's soldiers. After that, they threw their bows away, knowing that the only thing that could protect them in close combat were their swords.

The battle began. The sound of swords mercilessly clashing was only drowned out by the sound of the forest burning all around them.

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"No!" said Merlin as he watched the burning trees. He could see a group of people standing in the middle of the road, surrounded by fire everywhere. There were a lot of people, and judging by their location, those were Arthur's knights… Merlin couldn't be sure, but he didn't have time to dwell on that.

"Ablinnan lieg!" he yelled, his palm facing the burning forest. He felt his eyes change colour, as a powerful wave of magic emanated from his body.

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Arthur and his men fought bravely, but even they couldn't last long against an enemy who outnumbered them two – to – one. Many of the enemy soldiers had been slain. Unfortunately, some of Arthur's knights had also died. Many still fought, but Arthur was unsure how long they would last.

The fire was still burning all around them. The only positive thing was that no more burning trees had fallen down on them.

'Where's the rain when you need it?!' thought Arthur, as he stabbed another enemy with his sword. If the forest around them wasn't burning, they could at least take cover in the forest, and have a chance at surviving…

The battle raged on for a few more minutes. Suddenly, the light from the fire intensified, causing all the soldiers to momentarily stop fighting. The fire that previously burned the trees at a steady pace had now shot upwards, burning with more power and intensity than before. But that only lasted for a few moments, and then, the fire was out. The trees were no longer burning.

Camelot's knights and the enemy soldiers were stunned for a few moments, not knowing what had happened. But then they snapped out of it, and the battle continued. Some of Camelot's knights took cover in the forest, hiding behind trees to dodge their enemies' blows. Some of them stayed in the middle of the road. The battle continued, but now Camelot's soldiers had more space to move. They attacked in bigger groups, using their military training to gain an advantage over the enemy soldiers.

'Merlin' thought Arthur as he dodged another attack. He was certain that he had been the one to tame the fire. Merlin had given them a fighting chance, and now, Arthur was just hoping that Merlin was safe as well.

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Pleased that his spell worked, Merlin lowered his hand. Now that the fire was out, Merlin wanted to see if Camelot's knights were in any more danger. He thought he could see more than one group of people….and were they fighting? Merlin wanted to be sure, he didn't to cast a spell that would cause damage to any of Arthur's men…

It was then that he heard the sound of crunching leaves behind him, accompanied by the sound of a spell being cast. He turned around just in time to see a big ball of fire coming his way…

But he managed to raise his palm in time, as he recited his own spell. The fire ball disappeared inches before Merlin's hand.

"Emrys" said the mysterious figure standing in front of Merlin "You are alive after all."

So it was true then. He doubted it for a moment, when the woman who had attacked them in Arthur's camp said it, but it was true. This person had cast a spell over themselves. It concealed them, not by making them invisible, but by making them sort of… hard to read, in a way. Their voice sounded nor male nor female, and you couldn't draw any conclusions about the person from their shrouded silhouette. The spell distorted your perception, and adding the dark clothes and covered hands, there was no way to tell who you were speaking to.

But Merlin knew. The spell only worked if you were meeting with a person who you didn't know the identity of. But once you knew, it was all in vain.

"I know it's you." said Merlin in a calm and serious voice. "You can stop hiding now."

"If you insist" said the person. The hooded one slowly removed the gloves, then the hood. And finally, the scarf that covered the face was gone.

Merlin knew what was about to happen. It had almost happened a few years ago. He knew what his duty was, and he knew that what he was doing was in the best interest of everything he held dear. But that didn't stop the pain that he felt as he looked into the eyes of the person he had once considered a friend.


	20. Chapter 20

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_On the hill_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Hello Morgana"

"Hello… Merlin" said the witch. Her long black hair, once slick and beautiful, was now caught in a messy braid that hung on her right shoulder. Her face was thinner that it had been before. Her eyes were still a beautiful as ever, but her gaze was piercing. When she looked at you, you had a feeling that she could see straight into your soul.

"Did you know all along?" asked Morgana.

"That it was you?" asked Merlin "No, not at all. The attack at the castle, the poison… it was unlike all your previous plans."

"How so?" asked Morgana, her voice calm and serious.

"You were always smart, Morgana" answered the warlock "But you would always let your temper get in your way. This time was different."

"You're right" answered Morgana, and the answer surprised Merlin "My temper always got in my way. Every time I devised a plan, I always missed something, my hastiness getting the better of me. I would miss a detail, and you would use that to win."

"So what changed?" asked Merlin "what happened that changed you?"

"Camlann".

-_-_-_-_On the main road-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Knights and mercenaries were fighting, swinging their swords and axes, dodging blows, and in some cases, even throwing rocks at their enemies' heads. The battle had been raging for about an hour now. Arthur's knights had managed to hold their own, and the enemies' numbers were now down to about twenty five. Unfortunately, Arthur's side had also suffered some casualties. Only twelve knights were still able to fight. The other ones were wounded, some with flesh wounds, and some with fatal ones.

Arthur was tired. He could feel his arm trembling as he swung his sword to block an attack. He recognized the man who was now attacking him. It was the short, angry man who had talked to him before, the one who had lost his daughter… Arthur could see the hatred and thirst for revenge in his attacker's eyes. The short man fought without holding back, his anger guiding his every move.

Arthur felt sorry for the man, knowing what it was like to lose someone you loved. But he also believed in what he fought for. So he turned around, and a moment before the short man could hit him with his axe, Arthur thrust Excalibur in his chest. The short man stopped in his tracks. He looked down to where Arthur had wounded him. His axe fell from his hand, and the short man lifted his head to look directly in Arthur's eyes. The dying man's eyes seemed different now, clearer somehow… and then the man's limp body fell down to the ground.

Arthur didn't have the time to lament the man's death, seeing as another man was currently running in Arthur's direction, sword held high, and ready to strike. He took a calming breath, before raising his own sword for another attack.

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"Camlann?"

"After you defeated my army" said Morgana, looking straight at the ground before her "And after Arthur killed.. Mordred" her voice faltered upon mentioning Mordred's name "I was furious. I had planned everything for so long, and now, everything was ruined. All that I fought for was gone. I went searching for you, but you and my brother had disappeared. I ordered my soldiers to search everywhere for you, but those fools found nothing. Eventually, a message arrived. Your clever little friend Gwaine tried to trick me. And I played along. I went to where he wanted me to go. And when your brave knights showed up, I captured them. Poor Gwaine was very helpful after I tormented him, you know."

"I know, Morgana" said Merlin, looking at her with anger "we barely rescued him, he was nearly dead… why are you telling me this?"

"When I found out that you were headed to Avalon, I had to stop you." she said, ignoring Merlin's question "And I managed to track you down. I had my chance, finally. I could kill Arthur, the one thing I had been trying to do for such a long time…" she said, and she now looked at the sky, with a haunted look in her eyes "and then you stabbed me. Fortunately for me, you missed my heart. As you left me there, alone, I was sure I would die… But then Aithusa found me. She managed to transport me to where the Sidhe were. Their magic saved me. But by the time I was fully healed, you and Arthur were already long gone. "

"So that's how you survived." said Merlin "where is Aithusa now?"

"Dead" answered Morgana. Her voice was filled with sadness now, and it was the first time that she let emotion show into her voice. "Aithusa was weak and injured. After you had sent her away, some of your knights must have wounded her. My magic was weak and I couldn't heal her, and by the time I was strong enough… she was gone. After she died, I was furious with myself, for letting Aithusa die, for letting you and Arthur slip away… I wanted nothing more than to hunt you down and kill you. And that's when I realized. All my planning and scheming, they were all in vain. My impatience always got the better of me… So I decided to bide my time. The plan I had set in motion was not an easy task. But it was worth it."

"I'm sorry" said Merlin, bowing his head. "I'm sorry about Aithusa."

"Are you?"

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Gwaine had been walking for what felt like days. In reality, he had only been walking for a little more than an hour. But because of his wound, curtesy of those damn mercenaries, his progress was slow. The wound wasn't deep, and he hadn't lost a lot of blood, but it was still painful. He grew tired more easily, and he was currently sitting on a fallen tree trunk, trying to rest.

It was silent in the forest, although he could hear the distant sound of swords clashing and men yelling. Those horrid sounds were coming from the direction he was headed in, meaning that the enemies had already found Arthur. Gwaine was impatient to get there sooner, to fight, or do anything he could to help… But the blasted wound only made things harder.

After resting for a few minutes, he stood up, ready to continue on his way. A thundering sound made him turn in the opposite direction.

Gwaine listened on for a few moments. 'Those are horses, all right.' He pulled out his sword, as the sound of horses galloping became louder and louder. He was determined to face the new group of enemy soldiers, although he knew that the chances of him surviving were unnervingly close to zero.

'At least I'll slow down those bloody fools for a few minutes' thought Gwaine, tightening his grip on the sword 'maybe that's all Arthur needs, just a few more minutes…'

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"Of course I am" said Merlin, surprised and angered "I was the one who awoke Aithusa, I never wanted her dead!"

"I find that hard to believe, Emrys" said Morgana. She was now looking directly at him. Her voice was still calm, but Merlin could see the anger rising up in her eyes.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"Because" she said "That would go against everything I now know about you."

"And what do you know?" asked Merlin.

"I know that you are a traitor. A traitor to your kind, a traitor to all magical creatures" she said "and a traitor to your friends."

"I'm the traitor?" asked Merlin "You are the one betrayed those who loved you."

"Those who loved me?" asked Morgana. "Those who loved me would have turned on me the second they found out I had magic"

"That's not true…" started Merlin, but she cut him off.

"Oh that's right" she said "you and Gauis already knew. And you decided to let me suffer."

"I'm sorry Morgana…" said Merlin, feeling guilty "I truly am."

"And you" she said "you even poisoned me. My dear friend Merlin, who I trusted with my life, poisoned me."

"It was the only way…" he said, remembering those awful moments "But I am sorry…"

"Will you blame me now, Emrys" she asked "for not trusting you?"

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Leon had just dodged a joined attack from two enemy soldiers. One of the men was wounded, so Leon easily blocked his attack, before using his knuckles to hit him in the face, effectively knocking him out. But the second man was faster, and in that split second until the enemy's sword reached his skin, Leon watched in fear, knowing that there's nothing he can do to save himself….

Fortunately, he had friends, namely tall and strong friends like Percival, who had seen that Leon was fighting two men at once. After dispatching of his own opponent, Percival had rushed to Leon's side. And before the mercenary could hurt Leon, Percival stabbed the man with his sword.

"Th - Thank you" said Leon, a little shaken up by his near death experience.

Percival just smiled and nodded, before turning around to fight again. After taking a few moments to regain his composure, Leon picked up his sword, ready to return to the battle.

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"I can't blame you for not trusting me" said Merlin

"After you betrayed me" said Morgana "I knew that it was a matter of time before Arthur, Uther, Gaius, and even Gwen turned on me. My dear sister was the only one I could trust. And now… now there's no one left to be loyal to."

The two of them grew silent again, each of them lost in their thoughts.

"That's how I figured it out. That it was you" said Merlin after a while. Morgana looked at him with an inquisitive look.

"After you left'' said Merlin "Gwen would sometimes talk about the days when the two of you were friends. I felt guilty for what I had done to you, so I tried to remember as much as I can. That way, I could remember you as the friend you once were. Not the person I helped you become."

Morgana was looking at him with pure hatred in her eyes, but she remained silent.

"Among her stories" continued Merlin "She once mentioned that you loved emeralds because they reminded you of your father Gorlois. And when I found out about the loyalty spell… it just all came into place. I know how much you value loyalty, Morgana."

"Too bad you're not worthy of it." she answered.

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"We can't win" thought Arthur desperately. He was now standing in the middle of the road. No one was attacking him in the moment, so he used it to survey the situation. His knights were losing. Most of them were wounded, and some of them were dead. He was among the few uninjured people. But even so, he was tired. He knew he wouldn't last much longer. His body was shaking from the physical strain of fighting for almost two hours without rest.

It was hard for him to accept that this was it. The enemy's soldiers were still fighting. And although they had injured and dead people on their side, they outnumbered Arthur's forces. Soon they will overpower them, and everything will be lost.

Arthur again felt the crushing, overbearing guilt he had faced many times before. When the enemy's soldiers win, they will kill him. Or they might make him their prisoner, seeing as he was the King of Camelot. But his knights? Arthur couldn't think of any reason why the enemies would spare his knights. They will even kill Pacey, King Robin's messenger, who had surprisingly managed to stay alive until now. And Merlin…

Arthur didn't even know where Merlin was. Was he hurt, or worse? But even if that wasn't true, and Merlin was alright, he was still far away. Arthur thought of Merlin, returning to this place, alone, and seeing all of them dead… he knew that Merlin would feel guilty, thinking all of this was his fault. And Arthur wouldn't be here to tell him how utterly wrong he was.

And he would never see his lovely Guinevere again…

A sound of someone running snapped Arthur from his thoughts. An enemy soldier, a tall and muscular man, with long black hair was approaching him, ready to attack. Arthur prepared for a counter attack. Suddenly the man stopped running. He just stood there, his face betraying his shock and fear, before falling to the ground. When the man fell, Arthur could see that there was a long brown arrow embedded in the man's back.

Arthur turned around, and what he saw brought a smile to his face. The cavalry had arrived. And Gwaine was leading it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0-0_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"For what I did to you" said Merlin "I will never forgive myself. But what you did to Arthur, and Gwen, and all those other people… That's on you, Morgana. And I cannot forgive that."

"You cannot forgive me?" asked Morgana. Her calm and composed façade was now gone, and she was fuming with anger.

"To think that I would want your forgivness…" she said, her voice betraying her anger and resentment, while her eyes were starting to glow with a golden light.

"Morgana…" said Merlin, cautiously lifting his hand, his eyes starting to change colour as well.

"This ends now, Emrys." said Morgana, before whispering a few magical words.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-0-0_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The reinforcements from Camelot had arrived. Gwaine was sitting on one of the horses, leading the charge. Behind him were Camelot's knights, ready to strike down their enemies. Even though the enemy soldiers fought with great ferocity, they couldn't last much. The battle was soon over, and the mercenaries were now their prisoners.

"Sir Gwaine" said Arthur, as he and Percival came close to Gwaine's horse. "For once, your timing is impeccable."

Gwaine just smiled, as he attempted to get down from his horse.

"Are you hurt, Gwaine?" said Percival, as they heard Gwaine hissing in pain.

I'll live" said Gwaine with a smile, holding his hand over his injury.

"Did the mercenaries do that to you?" asked Arthur

"Yeah" answered Gwaine "They hit me with an arrow, and I fell to the ground. They must have thought I was dead, because they continued on their way."

"You were lucky this time" answered Arthur, a little annoyed, but happy that Gwaine was alive "Why did you disobey my orders? You should have come here, that was the plan!"

"I thought I could buy you some time!" said Gwaine, before cursing. His hand was over his wound again, and Arthur assumed that the pain was getting worse.

"What you did was brave" said Arthur, looking at Gwaine sternly "but stupid. Don't do it again. Percival" he said, pointing to the side of the road "take Gwaine to the physician."

"Come on" said Percival "I'll tell you what happened while you weren't here."

Gwaine agreed, and both of them slowly walked where the physician and several of the newly arrived knights were tending to the injured soldiers. The physician was Gaius' new apprentice, who had made the journey on his behalf. Gaius was still the best physician in Camelot, but he was too old to embark on a few days journey with hardly any rest. So he had sent Mark instead. Mark was a naïve young man, but a good physician. And with the number of injured men, both knights and mercenaries, they really needed a good physician.

Arthur watched on as Percival helped Gwaine sit on the stretcher. The King shook his head, wondering if Gwaine will ever learn to listen to the orders given to him.

Speaking of idiots who never listened…

A bright light suddenly caught Arthur's, and everyone else's attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. The story that Morgana told was my version of how the events after the battle of Camlann went. All the other events leading up to the battle are the same, but this is where my story starts to differ from the canon version. It's not as good as the original, but at least Arthur and the others are still alive.
> 
> Also, I refer to the dragon Aithusa as female, because that's what the official wikis claim, although I think Aithusa was refered to as 'he' on the show… Anyway, I wasn't sure.


	21. Chapter 21

-_-_-_-_-_-_-On the hill_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Morgana's words conjured a white wave of pure magical energy that was currently heading his way. With a few magical words, he stopped the attack seconds before it reached him.

"It doesn't have to be this way Morgana" said Merlin, his hand still outstretched in Morgana's direction.

"Oh, it really does" said Morgana. Her previously cold and calm demeanor was now gone, and all her anger was now showing on her face. Her eyes, while still their usual green colour at the moment, seemed to be bursting with a desire for revenge.

"You have wronged me in so many ways" said the witch. "As Emrys, and as Merlin. And now, you will pay."

And before Merlin had a chance to say anything else, Morgana's eyes changed colour again, and she pointed her left hand towards him.

"Astrice!" she yelled, and another wave of magical energy was headed towards Merlin, this one faster and buzzing with more energy than before.

With a glow of his eyes, Merlin made a nearby rock fly in front of him. The rock intercepted Morgana's attack, exploding into a thousand little pieces as a result.

"Forbaerne acwele!" he said without hesitating, firing a few fire balls in Morgana's direction. She evaded the attack, instead reciting a spell of her own.

'So be it' Merlin thought, as he said recited another spell. He didn't want to fight her. Not now, after all this time. But he knew she had to be stopped. And if a fight was what she wanted, he sure as hell was going to give her one.

-_-_-_-_-_On the main road, under the hill-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The bright white light was shortly followed by another one. That was followed by a burning orange one, which was then followed by a brilliant blue light. The bright lights continued to come in increasing speed, sometimes following the previous one, and sometimes overlapping with one another. It was late afternoon now, and the sun was beginning to set. But you wouldn't know that, as the whole forest around them was now illuminated by the amazing show of lights.

"What's that?" said someone behind Arthur, voicing the question on everyone's mind. Although he didn't know for certain, Arthur had a bad feeling that he knew exactly what that was.

"It's Merlin, isn't it?" he heard Gwaine saying. He turned around, and he saw Gwaine looking at him. Gwaine was now sitting down on the ground, where Mark, the young physician that Gaius had sent in his place, had been taking care of his injury. That had stopped for the moment though, as the physician was currently preoccupied with staring at the lights coming from the hill.

"I think so" answered Arthur, coming to stand closer to Gwaine. Gwaine nodded, and turned his head to the hill again.

"Do you think we should go there?" he asked.

"If that really is Merlin" said Leon, who was standing nearby "what is he doing?"

"He probably found the sorcerer who is behind all this." answered Gwaine, putting his hand over his newly bandaged wound. "After that woman attacked us at the camp, Merlin seemed pretty sure as to who was behind the attacks. He was certain that they would be on top of that hill. My wager is that Merlin found them, and they weren't in a peaceful mood. "

"I think you're right" said Arthur, before he let out a big sigh "Did he tell you anything?" he turned to Gwaine "About the sorcerer behind the attacks?"

"He didn't" answered Gwaine, looking down at the ground, trying to remember his last conversation with Merlin "But judging by his face, I'd say he's dealt with the sorcerer many times before. He said that this whole thing stared because of him. I didn't get what he meant, probably talking about the first attack at the castle. "

"Probably" Arthur thought. He tried to recall the sorcerers that Merlin had told him about, the ones he had faced before revealing his magic, and the ones he had dealt with after that. He thought of many names, but no one stood out in particular… mostly because the better part of them were dead, locked up, or in some cases, exiled or left without their magic. Arthur let a little smile form on his face, still thinking about the paradox of Merlin being the most powerful sorcerer that ever was.

'But he's not at his most powerful now' Arthur thought. "He was wounded, and poisoned, and almost stripped down of his magic. He had been on the mend for several days now, but still…"

"If we go there" said Leon "We might just get in the way."

"Or we could help" said Gwaine "Merlin was near death just a few days ago. If we're there, we might help him take out this sorcerer."

"We should go there" said Arthur, looking at his knights "Gwaine's right, Merlin is not at his best at the moment, and he might need help. I'll go there."

"I'll tell the knights Sire…"

"No need" said Arthur, interrupting Leon "If too many people go, we'll make more noise, and the sorcerer might hear us coming. I'll go, and I'll only take two people with me. That way we'll still have the element of surprise."

"Good plan." said Gwaine, wincing slightly as he started getting up "Let me just get my sword…"

"You" said the King, putting his hands on Gwaine's shoulders and gently pushing him down on the ground. "Are injured."

"It's just a scratch Arthur, come on…"

"You're hurt, Gwaine" said Arthur, crossing his arms and looking straight at Gwaine "and the only thing you'd accomplish is make your wound worse, or get us exposed and killed."

Gwaine sighed, resigning himself to Arthur's orders.

"Percival, Tristane" said the King, satisfied that Gwaine didn't put too much of a fight. "You're with me."

As the two knights went to take their swords, Arthur kneeled next to Gwaine "We'll get him back Gwaine."

"You better" said Gwaine, a little menacingly. Arthur just smiled at that, before standing up again. One of the younger knights approached him.

"Here's your sword and shield, Sire" said the knight, as he handed them to Arthur.

"Thank you" said Arthur. "Are Tristane and Percival ready?"

"They're over there, Sire" answered the knight, pointing to where Tristane and Percival were, ready and waiting for Arthur.

"Good." said the King, before turning to Leon "You're in charge while I'm gone, Leon. I don't expect another attack, but be ready anyway."

"Yes Sire" answered Leon.

The head knight turned in the direction of the other knights and started giving orders, and Arthur turned in the opposite direction, ready to go and help his friend.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-On the hill_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"Fleoge!" yelled Merlin, causing a big rock to fly in Morgana's direction. She destroyed it with a spell of her own, before smirking.

"The mighty Emrys is throwing rocks at me." she said, mocking him. She seemed to be enjoying this little duel of theirs.

"You're holding back, Merlin" she said, as she fired a few blue fire balls in Merlin's direction. "Is that all that you can do?"

Merlin ignored this comment, focusing on his next attack. As he recited his spell, a blue wave of energy exploded in Morgana's direction. But she just waved with her hand, and the energy wave disappeared.

"I can do your tricks too, you know" she said, before reciting a spell that caused a few rocks to fly in Merlin's direction. As he dodged those, Morgana continued to speak.

"Oh I forgot" she said, acting surprised "You were hurt, weren't you? And poisoned as well? Well, that can't bode too well for you now, can it?"

She was now openly laughing, starting to walk to her right, getting closer to Merlin. He started walking to the right too, and they were now circling each other, not taking their eyes of the opponent.

"For a few years I was terrified of Emrys" she said, her voice now less gleeful "He was going to be my destiny and my doom. And no matter what I tried, Arthur always managed to come out on top. Thanks to his protector. I wondered how Emrys always knew when I would attack. Even the most powerful sorcerers can't have eyes everywhere. And then I discovered the truth."

She conjured another spell, causing yellow electricity to burst from her hand. It came so quickly, that it almost hit Merlin. Almost. He had just enough time to get out of the way, before turning around and sending another wave of flying rocks in her direction. She waved with her hand, and the rocks fell lazily on the ground.

"I deserved better, Merlin" she said, more serious than before. There was a hint of sadness in her voice as well "If I was really your friend, as you claim. I deserved the truth."

This made Merlin stop in his tracks. Morgana stopped as well, and for a moment they just stared at each other.

"I said I'm sorry, and I mean that…" Merlin started, but Morgana cut him off.

"You say you're sorry but for what? For not telling me that you're a sorcerer? Even after you saw that I would never condemn anyone just for having magic."

Merlin just looked at her, unable to respond.

"Or are you sorry for not telling me of my own magic? For letting me suffer all those nights, when you were right there. And didn't you think that telling me you had magic would make it easier for me? Instead you let me live in fear."

"I wanted to tell you, I truly did…"

"And yet, you didn't." she said, looking at him with an icy chill in her eyes. "But wait, I almost forgot. Because all of that wasn't enough, you poisoned me. When I was at my most frightened and vulnerable, you used our... friendship" she spit out the last word as if it the word was burning her mouth "to poison me. "

"I know what I did Morgana." said Merlin, feeling that familiar guilt "it was one of my lowest moments. But when I did it, it was the only way I knew to stop the magic, the only way to save everyone else… "

Morgana just looked at him, studying his face "We could have been friends, Merlin. Good friends. We could have done so much together, with our combined magic."

"We were friends, Morgana. And maybe, if I did things differently…"

"Well, it's too late for that now. Emrys" she said. She raised her hand, and Merlin could see that a small energy ball was levitating above it, waiting to be released in his direction. "Your mistakes are what led us to today. I am a high priestess. And you're just a fool who's too weak to attack me with something other than rocks."

"I don't want to kill you, Morgana…" he said, giving her one last chance.

"You're too weak to do that anyway" she said, releasing the energy ball in his direction.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-On the path leading to the top of the hill-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Arthur, Percival and Tristane, were now walking up the hill. They had started climbing the hill with horses, but soon the road became too narrow for the horses. So they tied the horses to some trees, and they continued on their way. The bright lights, which shone without pause from the hilltop until now, just stopped all of a sudden.

'What does this mean?' thought Percival. 'Why did they stop? Did Merlin and the other sorcerer come to a truce? Did Merlin defeat the other sorcerer? Or...' and Percival winced at this thought 'Did the other sorcerer defeat Merlin?'

He was sure that the others were thinking along the same lines, but before anyone had a chance to say anything, the lights appeared again, this time even more intense than before.

"Hurry up" he heard Arthur say. The reappearance of the lights at least meant that Merlin was still alive. That was enough to give Percival hope, as he struggled to keep the fast pace up the hill.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-On the hill_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

As he dodged yet another one of Morgana's attacks, Merlin thought about some of Morgana's words. It was true that most of his attacks had been low level attacks, mostly using nearby objects and sending them in Morgana's direction. He used some other spells as well, but he mostly stuck to the ones that required last energy and thought. He wasn't tired yet, but he knew his limits. He was healed now, but he could still feel the effects of the poison and the wound. So he tried to play it safe, hoping that by wasting less energy now, he could eventually tire out Morgana. And that's when he would use all of his power.

He hoped that his plan would work, but with every passing moment, that became less and less probable. Morgana was getting angrier, using more powerful attacks. She was constantly moving about, trying to tire him out as well, and her plan was working better than his. Dodging and blocking her attacks took out more and more energy out of him. He was feeling all right for now he wasn't sure how long that would last.

"Well, well" said Morgana, suddenly focusing her attention on something behind Merlin "Look who's here."

Half suspecting that Morgana was just trying to trick him into not paying attention, Merlin turned to look behind him.

"It's my dear brother" her cold voice contrasting her description of Arthur "and his brave knights."

'Arthur, no' thought Merlin.

"Hello Arthur" said Morgana, more loudly this time, so Arthur could hear her.

'No' thought Arthur, as he saw who Merlin's opponent was 'it can't be…'

"Did you miss me, Arthur?" asked Morgana.

"Morgana… why are you doing all of this?" asked Arthur, his voice now full of desperation and anger. "Haven't you caused enough suffering?"

"You and your father are the reason for that, Arthur. And your little friend here" she added, glancing in Merlin's direction.

"Our father was a cruel man, I know that. But I could have helped you. I was your friend Morgana. And I am your brother. Do you truly believe I wouldn't have accepted you?"

"You say that now, after having so much experience with magic users. But think back to all those years ago. Not knowing what you know now… Would you have accepted me? Truly?"

She asked with an angry voice, but there was something more. Something almost hidden… was it hope?

"Yes" Arthur said, after taking a moment to think "It would have been hard for me, and I would have felt betrayed…" and he looked at Merlin when he said those words.

"But you're my sister. I would have accepted you for who you are." He said, turning to look back at Morgana.

Merlin looked at Morgana as well. He could see that a small tear was now falling down her cheek. As the both Pendragon siblings looked at each other, Merlin could see the bond that had once existed between the both of them. For a moment, the old Morgana had returned, and she looked at Arthur with something close to love, instead of the all too familiar hateful glare.

It was a short moment, in which Arthur had hopes that maybe Morgana would change her mind… They could never return to what they were, for too many thing had happened, and Morgana had killed so many people… but maybe they could build a new relationship. Maybe they could become allies, if nothing else.

But that hope was crushed to dust, because the soft look in Morgana's eyes was suddenly replaced with hate and anger again. It seemed that she had been thinking about Arthur's words, contemplating them… but not anymore.

"No." said Morgana, her voice again cold and merciless "Those lies might have worked on me once, Arthur, but not now. Uther would have never accepted me, and the same goes for you."

"Please, Morgana, we can talk about this…" tried Arthur, taking a few small steps in her direction. Percival and Tristane both followed, with their swords ready to attack if necessary.

"Arthur, no.." said Merlin.

"We don't have to fight…" said Arthur, ignoring Merlin.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Morgana. "Aliese!"

Her words caused the three men to fly backwards.

"NO!" Merlin yelled, as he watched his friends falling towards the edge of the cliff.


	22. Chapter 22

Maybe it was his magic, and maybe it wasn't, but time suddenly slowed down. Two swords were seconds away from falling to the ground. Their owners were slowly flying backwards through the air, a look of fear, shock and confusion on their faces. The same emotions could be seen on the face of their leader, but Arthur's face had another emotion on it: disappointment. The three knights were slowly, but steadily reaching the edge of the cliff, where they would surely fall to their death. And on the other side of the clearing, was the one responsible for all of this. She was smiling, her smile now a twisted version of the beautiful, kind smile she had once had.

He hadn't been sure before, if he could end it. He knew he had to stop it, but if it came to that, could he kill her?

Those thoughts had tortured his mind before, controlling his every move and spell. But now, it was over. The restrictions and doubts disappeared the moment he saw his friends flying to their certain death.

'This ends today.' he thought, and he stretched his hand towards them. Time resumed at its normal speed as his eyes changed colour. The three men slowed down, falling softly to the ground, dangerously close to the edge of the hill.

And before Morgana had a chance to attack them again, Merlin waved his hand at her, and she was the one flying backwards through the air now. She landed to the ground with a loud thud. While the fall didn't kill her, it was enough to make her disoriented for a few moments.

"Arthur?" yelled Merlin "Are you all right?"

'I've been better' thought Arthur, as he felt his ears ringing. He slowly tried to get up, but everything around him refused to stay still. After a few moments though, his vision cleared and the ringing in his ears disappeared. He walked to where Percival and Tristane were laying on the ground, and checked the knights' pulses. Relieved at what he found, Arthur turned around to look at Merlin.

"We're fine, Merlin!" he yelled "Percival and Tristane are unconscious, and my head hurts a bit, but we'll be all right."

Merlin let out a huge sigh of relief. Arthur dragged the two knights' bodies behind a big rock, and he kneeled behind it. He nodded to Merlin, signaling that he'd be ready to help if needed.

Merlin turned around to look at Morgana. As he saw her struggling to regain his balance, he began reciting a new spell. And as soon as she was on her feet again, his eyes flashed gold. The two big rocks behind Morgana exploded, causing her to fall to the ground again.

"So you can do more than throw rocks" she said, as she lifted herself of the ground. Her tone was mocking, but Merlin wasn't fooled. Her bravado was nothing more than a failed attempt to hide her fear.

"Forbaerne acwele!" yelled Morgana, which resulted in a few fire balls that were headed in Merlin's direction. With a flash of his eyes, the fire balls stopped, and they were now levitating in the air. Merlin waved his hand, and they were suddenly flying in Morgana's direction. It caught Morgana by surprise, but she had just enough time to throw her hand in front of her. With a few magical words of her own, the fire balls disappeared. She let out a sigh, relieved that she was able to stop the fire balls… and that was when a strong wind blew in her direction. The wind was unusually strong, and it made her fall to the ground again.

Merlin watched as Morgana got up to her feet. He saw at how she glanced at him in fear, even if it was only for a moment. 'Good' he thought, satisfied that this little show of force had worked. He had plenty more spells at his disposal, but not much in terms of energy. He was struggling, even now, not to show how much he needed to just sit down and rest for a few moments. He glanced to his left, and he saw Arthur, sitting behind the big rock. Arthur just smiled at him, letting him know that he's here if Merlin needs him. Merlin just nodded in return, grateful for the support.

Morgana saw Arthur's little encouraging smile. Seeing her brother supporting another magical user, when only moments ago, he had told her that he would have accepted her as well was infuriating. Could Arthur be telling the truth? She had dismissed his words before, when she had sent him flying toward the cliff, but what if she was wrong? The notion that all her suffering and hiding could have been avoided, and that she could have been accepted, and loved…Morgana wasn't sure of anything at the moment, and doubts began creeping into her mind again, her resolve slowly crumbling under the thought that maybe Arthur was telling the truth after all…

'No! said a small voice inside her head 'He is a Pendragon, and he would have betrayed you! You can never trust them, and you never could. Not one of them would have sided with you. They have to pay!'

And with that, even the smallest remnant of doubt disappeared from Morgana's mind. She recited a spell, and a yellow energy wave was now heading in Merlin's direction.

Merlin managed to block the attack, but before he could do anything more, Morgana sent another magical wave towards him.

Merlin tried to block the second attack, but he wasn't fast enough. He raised his arm in front of him, and his eyes shone bright. The wave of magical energy hit him in his forearm. It wasn't enough to kill him, or even to send him to the ground, but it did take a lot of energy out of Merlin.

"Forbaerne" he said, causing red and golden flames to burst out of his palm, heading in Morgana's direction. But she evaded his attack, and soon, yellow lightning was quickly making its way toward the warlock. Merlin quickly moved to the side. He managed to escape the lightning, but just barely. He enchanted a few nearby rocks to fly in her direction, but soon enough, she stopped them as well.

Arthur had nothing to do, but to sit back behind the big rock and watch. He felt useless at times, but he knew that there wasn't much he could do. Percival and Tristane were still knocked out, leaving him the only spectator to this magical duel. It was incredible, seeing the power that Merlin and Morgana wielded, the things that they could do with only a few words... It was amazing, and terrifying at the same time.

Merlin and Morgana had been fighting for about ten minutes now, with nothing really changing. They both seemed to be evenly matched. One of them would unleash an attack, and the other one would either block it or evade it.

Arthur watched as Morgana waved her hand, and a small amount of water from the pond beside her rose up in the air.

"Brimstream!"she yelled, and the water that was peacefully levitating in the air suddenly made its way toward Merlin. It looked as if Morgana had a long whip that she was not currently swinging at Merlin's direction. It wasn't a whip exactly, but Arthur was sure that if the water hit him, it would hurt a lot.

But Merlin reacted quickly, and he recited a few spell words. The whip of water now split into several smaller drops of water, which then turned into sharp icicles. Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and the icicles quickly changed direction, now flying in Morgana's direction. She managed to deflect almost all of them, but one of them grazed her, making a cut in her left arm. She winced in pain, grabbing her arm with her right palm.

"There's no way to win, Morgana" said Merlin. Arthur looked at the witch, who was still clutching her arm. She threw a deadly glance in Merlin's direction.

"Benne laeg gesweorc" she said, and suddenly a thick fog appeared in the air. The fog made it hard for Arthur to see what was going on. He couldn't see Merlin, or Morgana.

"Prosm tohweorfe", Arthur heard Merlin's voice, somewhere to his right, and a moment later, the fog started to clear out. Merlin's figure appeared again, and Arthur could easily see him, and everything around him.

It was then that he saw a huge fireball making its way towards Merlin. But Merlin wasn't even looking at it, he was looking somewhere in front of Arthur…

So Arthur turned around as well, and to his surprise a huge fireball was heading towards him as well. Arthur panicked, knowing that there was nothing he could do…

Moments before, Merlin had seen that the fog was staring to clear out. He could make out Morgana's figure, but before the air could clear out properly, he saw that Morgana had her hand outstretched in his and Arthur's direction. Her eyes flashed gold, and two big fireballs formed in the air. One of them was heading in Merlin's direction, and the other one was headed towards Arthur.

Merlin stretched his hands towards the fireballs. "Faeblaed wave!" he yelled, focusing his attention on the fireball heading in Arthur's direction. That fireball disappeared, and he redirected his attention to the other one, but he was too late.

The fireball hit him straight in the chest, and he fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Merlin winced in pain. The area around his chest was burning. He tried to get up, ignoring the signals that his body was sending him. He couldn't back down even if his chest hurt, and his whole body ached. He knew that Morgana had to be stopped.

So he got up. He was barely able to keep himself upright. He looked at Arthur, who was now looking at him, worry written on his face. Merlin just nodded his head, signaling to his friend that he was all right. He was very much not all right. But the truth wouldn't have helped anyone.

"Morgana" he said, his voice now low and weak "I'm going to give you one more chance. Give up."

Morgana looked at him. Her eyes opened up in surprise, and she looked like she was going to burst out laughing. Even Arthur sent him a bewildered gaze.

"I'm sorry" said Morgana, after settling down for one of her evil smirks. "I don't think that you're in any position to make demands."

"I'm serious" he said, his voice cold and calm "Surrender. Or I will do what needs to be done."

"I'd like to see you try, Emrys!" said Morgana, raising her hands to cast another spell.

"Gehaeftan" said Merlin quietly, before Morgana could do anything. Suddenly, a few roots sprung from the earth near Morgana. Arthur watched as the roots grew, quickly tying themselves around Morgana's ankles and arms. She struggled to get free for a few moments, but the roots only tightened their grip around her.

"I have to finish it, Arthur" said Merlin, causing Arthur to look at him. His eyes were now bright gold, brighter than ever before, but he wasn't casting any spells.

"I'm sorry" said the warlock. And before Arthur could say anything, Merlin turned his attention back to Morgana.

"Bryne" said Morgana then, and the roots burned and immediately turned to ash, setting her free. She lifted her head, looking straight at Merlin.

For a second everything was quiet and peaceful. A soft breeze grazed Arthur's face, and he heard a bird singing somewhere in the distance. 'The calm before the storm' he thought, although that couldn't have been right. How could there be a storm now, when Merlin and Morgana had been fighting for the last half hour or so? Surely it couldn't get much worse than that.

Seconds later, he was proven wrong.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-Down on the main road-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The knights had been waiting for half an hour or so. Their enemies had been subdued and tied up, the wounded had been taken care of, and the few that were dead were prepared for the pyre. The knights had nothing to do but sit and wait.

Leon watched at the hill in front of him. Were Arthur and the two knights alive? Clearly Merlin was fighting someone, as they regularly saw bright lights coming from the hilltop. And although Leon knew that Arthur wouldn't be of much help in a magical battle, he also knew that nothing would have stopped Arthur from going up there. That's why he didn't try to persuade Arthur into staying down here.

'At least Merlin's still alive' he thought. And if Merlin was alive, there was a very good chance that Arthur was too. Leon hoped that Merlin's magical duel would soon be over. Leon didn't know much about magic, but he was sure that they couldn't go on for much longer.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-On the hilltop-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Cume her fyrbryne!" said Merlin, and a fire erupted on the ground in front of him. In a second, the fire moved in a line toward Morgana, with such a speed, that Arthur almost missed it… but Morgana was fast. She flashed her eyes and the fire was gone.

"Gewican de stanas!" She yelled then, and the ground around them began to shake, almost as if there was an earthquake. But Merlin just spread his arms, and without a single word from him, the shaking stopped. This caught Morgana by surprise, and Merlin used this moment to send a strong gust of wind in her direction.

Morgana waved her hand. Her eyes flashed gold, and another gust of wind formed, this one directed towards Merlin. The two air currents crashed into each other. The power from the winds blew everything around Merlin and Mogana away. Small rocks, leaves, twigs, and even Arthur's bag flew away. Merlin and Morgana even walked closer toward each other, keeping the air current focused toward the other, as the strength of the winds crashing together grew with every second.

They kept the winds going for another minute, before Morgana finally waved her hand upwards, and the air currents moved in that direction. Morgana was now visibly tired, standing in a hunched stance, shaking and drawing huge breaths. She was now casting another spell, her eyes once again changing their colour to gold.

Arthur turned to look at Merlin, expecting to see him as tired and as worn out as Morgana. But what he saw surprised him.

Merlin was standing upright. His breathing was almost normal, as if he wasn't tired even a little. His arms were beside his body, calm and relaxed.

Morgana cast her spell. Electricity zapped through the air, as lightning was making its way toward Merlin. Merlin raised his hand, and he redirected the lightning before it even reached him. Morgana also redirected the lightning, so now they were stuck like that. Both of them had their hands stretched, each one fighting to control the lightning.

The lightning exploded in the air between them, pushing both of them a few meters back.

Merlin then sent out three big rocks flying towards Morgana, which she countered with a few rocks of her own.

Arthur was terrified at what he saw. He had been amazed before, but this was a whole other level. Morgana was clearly powerful, conjuring attack after attack, never hesitating or giving up. Her attacks were quick and powerful, although not always so precise. But it was clear that she wielded an amazing power.

And Merlin…

Arthur had accepted that Merlin's magic was strong. He had found it laughable at first, but after seeing Merlin fight and use his magic, he had accepted that Merlin was a powerful warlock. But the Merlin he saw before him now was something else. His eyes were now constantly gold, never reverting to their usual blue. Merlin was quiet and focused, never uttering a single word. It seemed he didn't need spell words now, as even the tiniest movement of his hand caused a powerful force to erupt in front of him.

Arthur was in awe of this Merlin. He finally understood why everyone revered Emrys so much.

Percival chose that moment to wake up form unconsciousness. Arthur quickly told him what was going on, and instructed him to stay hidden. Percival understood, and stayed hidden behind the rock. Tristane also awoke after several minutes, surprised at the current situation.

As Merlin redirected another one of Morgana's attacks, Arthur heard Morgana yell in anger. He turned his attention to her. She was standing there, frustrated, angry and focused solely on Merlin. She was currently reciting a spell, her voice now loud and powerful. It was a long and complicated spell, and she had her hand raised toward the sky. Merlin had also stared reciting a spell, his hand also stretched towards the heavens. His voice was deep, and it reminded Arthur of a dragon's roar.

Morgana's eyes flashed gold again, even more intensely than before. She finished her spell, and high above her hands a wind started to howl, the air turning in circles, faster and faster, combined with roaring fire. She then lowered her hands toward Merlin, causing the gust of wind and fire to hurl in Merlin's direction.

Merlin had also finished his spell. And as the last word fell from his mouth, the clouds above rumbled, and the sky lit up. A huge lightning came hurling down towards Merlin. Merlin lowered his hand towards Morgana, and the lightning followed.

The gust of wind and fire and the lightning collided with a sound so loud, Arthur almost thought he would go deaf.

Both sorcerers stood with their hand outstretched, Morgana with her fiery gust of wind, and Merlin with his lightning, both of them struggling to overpower the other one. They were currently tied, seeing as the lightning and the fiery wind met at the center between the both sorcerers.

While struggling to control the wind, Morgana was focusing her death glare on Merlin. Merlin was staring at the center point where both of their attacks collided into each other. None of them said anything. Not that anyone could hear them if they did. The huge crash of two such powerful energies had caused a wind to blow around them, centering around the point where the two attacks collided. The knights watched in fear at the collision point of the two attacks. It was emanating light and power. The light only became more intense, and the power that was coming from it was almost unbearable.

It seemed that Merlin was getting tired after all. The center point where the lightning and the wind were colliding was now moving closer to him, meaning that Morgana's attack was becoming more powerful. Arthur looked at his sister, and he could see that she was smiling, sure that she would win. She was even making a few small steps towards Merlin, enjoying every moment of it.

Arthur could see that his friend was taking huge breaths, struggling to maintain the lightning. His eyes were now changing between gold and blue irregularly. Morgana's attack was getting more and more powerful, and Merlin's was getting weaker.

The sky suddenly lit up again, followed by a loud exploding sound. Merlin took a few steps towards Morgana, and his eyes flashed gold once again. His attack suddenly became more powerful. The point of collision slowly started moving towards Morgana. She was frightened by this, taking a small step towards Merlin, trying to give her attack as much power as she could. And at the same time, Merlin put more and more power into his attack as well. It all became too much for Arthur. The light and power coming from the attacks was too much, and he shielded his eyes with his hand.

He could no longer see where Merlin and Morgana stood, as all he could see was the bright light coming from them. The wind was howling all around them, and the sky would rumble from time to time. The three knights kneeled behind the rock, trying to shield themselves from the wind.

A thundering sound broke the air. A powerful wave of energy and wind burst out in all directions, and Arthur was thankful that they were hidden behind the rock when it happened. A wonderful array of golden and silver lights lit up the forest. The wind settled down, and everything was suddenly quiet.

It took a few moments for Arthur's eyes to adjust to the normal light of the evening's sun. The light from the magical attacks was overwhelmingly bright, and for a few moments, all he could see were dancing spots before his eyes.

But then his eyes adjusted, and he stood up from behind the rock.

He saw Merlin's figure, standing where he had been standing before. And he saw Morgana as well, her not having moved from her previous position either. They seemed to be staring at each other, and Arthur didn't really know what was going on.

Suddenly, Morgana fell backwards, landing on her back. She was followed by Merlin, who first fell on his knees, and then fell forward.


	23. Chapter 23

"Merlin!" yelled Arthur, as he ran towards his fallen friend. Kneeling next to him, Arthur put his fingers on Merlin's throat, just as Gaius had taught him. Seconds passed, and Arthur was panicking, denying the terrible possibility that was threatening to come true with every passing moment…

But then he felt it. A slow, but steady rhythm under Merlin's skin. Merlin was alive.

Arthur let out a huge relieved breath.

"He's alive" he said, turning to look at the two knights standing behind him. Tristane and Percival looked relieved, but Arthur's attention was now focused on the still figure not too far from them. She was laying on the ground, not moving, and her face was turned away from. Arthur felt torn, not knowing what he was supposed to feel at the moment.

"She's dead, Sire" said Percival with a solemn tone. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you" said Arthur, turning his attention back to Merlin. The warlock was alive, but they didn't know much beyond that. They needed to act fast.

"Go down to where our men are." said Arthur "Percival, you are to find the physician, and two other men, and come back here. And Tristane, you and Leon organize the men to get back to where our camp was. Wait for us there."

As the two knights walked away, Arthur was left alone with his friend, who was once again, unconscious. He sat in silence for a few minutes, not moving in case Merlin awoke. But Merlin remained as silent as he was.

"I'll deny ever saying this" said Arthur, as he looked at Merlin. "But your usual prattle has grown on me. It's strange seeing you like this, being all quiet and proper."

But Merlin didn't make a sound, and Arthur just smiled sadly. He stood up, and went to retrieve Excalibur, which had been blown away during the magical duel. He purposefully avoided looking at Morgana's unmoving body, as he walked closer to where the sword lay. As he kneeled down to it, he heart a slight groan, followed by something that sounded suspiciously like "prat."

"Merlin!" yelled Arthur, as he ran back to his friend. Merlin's eyes were open, albeit a bit unfocused. Arthur kneeled next to him, the sword he had previously retrieved thrown carelessly beside him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like death" said Merlin, his eyes now finally focused on Arthur "But other than that…"

"Can you sit?" asked Arthur, extending his arm forward. Merlin nodded, and he took Arthur's arm. Arthur slowly raised him, and Merlin let out a pained groan as he slowly moved into a sitting position.

"Are you certain you'll alright?" asked Arthur, keeping one hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Well my chest hurts a bit" said Merlin "and I'm very tired, but considering what…"

But he was cut off when Arthur suddenly hugged him. Merlin was confused for a moment, thinking that his mind was playing tricks on him. But Arthur really was hugging him, so Merlin just decided to go along with it.

"I didn't know you were the hugging type." said Merlin, as Arthur pulled back from the hug.

"Shut up, you idiot" said Arthur, trying, but not succeeding to stop the smile that was now forming on his face. Merlin gave him a small smile in return, and for a moment, Arthur was just grateful that his friend was somehow, still alive.

"What happened, Merlin?" asked Arthur "The last time we spoke was when I ordered you and Gwaine not to do anything stupid."

"Ah, well…" started Merlin "about that…"

"Look, I'm not surprised in the least that neither of you followed my order." said Arthur "But going after Morgana alone? Even you are not that stupid. Most of the time."

"After you and the knights left." started Merlin, as he took on a serious tone "a woman attacked us at…"

"I know about that." said Arthur "Gwaine told me that the woman tried to attack, but that he and Tristane stopped her. He also said that you interrogated her, and that after that, you decided to go and face the enemy on your own. Did you know it was Morgana all along?"

"No" said Merlin, who was now looking at Morgana's lifeless body. "I had no idea who was behind the attacks. But after what that woman said, it just sort of… clicked. It all made sense, and I knew I had to stop her."

"But why…" started Arthur, but Merlin cut him off.

"There was no time!" he said, looking directly in Arthur's eyes. "I knew that she had something else planned, but I didn't know what. So while Gwaine and the others were on their way to warn you, I had to try and stop her. I knew where she would be, and I knew that she would probably be alone. It was our best chance."

"It was the noble thing to do." said Arthur "but it was also foolish. You were wounded, and poisoned just a few days ago. And yet, you decided to take on a high priestess yourself."

"There was no one else" said Merlin, looking away from Arthur "It had to be me."

"You could have died!" said Arthur, his voice now filled with desperation and anger.

"I know" said Merlin, looking at Arthur again "But I had to try."

Arthur just shook his head, as he looked around. It was almost night now, as the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon.

"When Morgana was trapped" started Arthur, his voice now calm "in those roots, you turned to me, and you said you were sorry. What were you sorry for?"

Merlin lowered his head. He knew he had done what needed to be done. But it was still hard thinking about it.

"While we were fighting" he said, his head still lowered "I realized how strong she really was. I realized that the only way that I could save us all was if I… killed her."

"I am sorry" he said after a small pause. He had now lifted his head to look Arthur straight in the eyes. "That it had to come to that. And I'm sorry it had to be me."

Arthur just looked at him for a few moments. He then slowly put his hand on Merlin's shoulder, and with a gentle voice, he said: "She would have killed you, and then she would have killed us. You have nothing to apologize for. You brought peace. And I am thankful for that."

There was a sense of finality to Arthur's words, and Merlin realized that this was all that Arthur had to say on that subject, at least for now. Knowing how awful Arthur must be feeling, Merlin decided to drop the topic. He looked at the now dark blue horizon. It was finally over.

_-_-_-_-_-_-At Arthur's camp-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

It was now the middle of the night. Arthur's knights were sitting around the campfire. The wounded had been taken care of, and the enemy soldiers were now tied up in the cave, along with the woman who had been spying on Merlin and the others. She was still mute, as Merlin's spell was still in full force. She had now resorted to sending hateful, although slightly frightened looks at the five knights who were guarding the prisoners.

The dead bodies were set at the side, prepared for the pyre. It was unclear if the enemy's bodies were to be burnt along with those of Camelot's finest. But that was for Arthur to decide.

'Where are they?' thought Gwaine. He was sitting near the entrance of the cave, looking at the stars. It had been a few hours since Percival and Tristane had arrived, telling them about Morgana and everything that had transpired. Gwaine was glad that Merlin was alive, albeit a bit worried when Percival fetched the physician. But Percival had reassured him that Merlin was going to be fine, before heading back up the hill, with Mark the physician and two other knights following close behind. Gwaine and the others had headed back to their camp, as per Arthur's orders. That had been several hours ago.

Gwaine cursed his injury. It wasn't a deep wound, but it still hurt, and the young physician had told him not to move about too much, as he would only aggravate it more. So Gwaine was stuck here, thinking about all that could have happened. He didn't have much to go on, as Percival hadn't revealed much other than the fact that Merlin was alive, that their enemy was actually Morgana, and that after fighting with her, Merlin had killed Morgana. It was a lot to take in, and it certainly gave Gwaine a lot to think about. He was worried about Merlin, of course. But he was mostly thinking about Morgana.

Gwaine remembered that day, the day after Camlann, so vividly. He and Percival had tried to trick Morgana, trying to lure her away from Arthur's location. And they had done it too, but they had underestimated her. She was powerful, stronger than they had imagined. She tortured him, using her magic in such cruel ways, until he could no longer bear the suffering. Finally, he had told her everything. He'd been disappointed in himself, but he had hoped that at least the torture would have stopped. He'd been mistaken, as Morgana had only continued with her cruel ways. But alas, his fellow knights had come to their aid, managing to save him before Morgana could kill him. She got away, and in time, his physical wounds had recovered. But few knew that Morgana had used some other kind of torture as well. Only his closest friends could see that he still feared the mention of her name.

And now, she was gone. She could never hurt him, or anyone else, again. Gwaine couldn't believe it.

An hour or so passed, and the knights all slowly went to sleep. Only Gwaine and a few others remained awake. Suddenly, there was a sound of rustling leaves. Someone was coming. Gwaine stood up, ready to greet whoever it was. Could it be…?

And sure enough, a few familiar figures emerged from the trees. Sir Alger was leading the group, holding a torch in his hand. Behind him was Mark, and Sir Ned was at the back of the group. Behind Mark, Percival and Arthur walked slowly. They were supporting the person walking between them, and with good reason too. Merlin looked like he could barely stand, let alone walk. But he was alive and well, and Gwaine hurried to go and greet him.

"Merlin, mate!" said Gwaine as he hugged Merlin, pushing Arthur and Percival aside.

"Gwaine" said Merlin, smiling "I'm glad you're alright. Arthur told me that you've been wounded?"

"Nothing too bad" said Gwaine, as he released Merlin from the hug. They now slowly walked toward the cave, Merlin still being supported by Arthur. They all sat down next to entrance, and almost all of the knights gathered around Merlin, curious to learn what exactly had happened. While the knights were settling down, Gwaine, who was sitting next to Merlin, leaned closer to his friend.

"Is it really over, Merlin?" he asked quietly.

"It is" Merlin answered, a small smile appearing on his face.

Gwaine gave a satisfied nod, before letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-At the hilltop-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

A few days had passed since then. Merlin was now almost fully recovered. After sustaining a burn to the chest, and spending an extraordinary amount of strength and energy, he'd been understandably tired. He had fallen asleep not long after their return to the camp. So they left him sleep, as they all knew he dearly needed the rest. He'd slept for a day and a half.

The enemy prisoners were to be sent back to Robin and Ouida's kingdom. Arthur had written a letter for the majesties, explaining that he wished to be present for the prisoners' trial, but that he had to go to Camelot first. And as soon as Merlin had woken up, he gave the spying woman her voice back. Soon after that, ten of Camelot's knights, along with the prisoners, had left for Robin's kingdom.

Arthur burned the bodies of his fallen knights on the pyre, and he burned the fallen enemies' bodies on a separate pyre. He was sad for the loss, their deaths weighing heavily on his conscience. But he didn't let Merlin feel guilty about them even for a second. He knew that his kind hearted friend was not to blame for their death. The ones who were guilty were about to receive their punishment.

All except the one who had already did. Arthur tried to burn her body as well, but something stopped him. He remembered how much Morgana had been scared of fire when they were children. Somehow, he still remembered when one rainy evening, as they played in the castle, the nine year old Morgana had told him how much she hated the thought of her body being burned. This had been years ago. It was before Morgana had grown out of her fear of fire, before he had met Merlin, and before Morgana had betrayed him. But he still remembered the promise that he had made to her on that rainy night, that he wouldn't let anyone burn her. Arthur was fairly certain that if the positions were reversed, Morgana wouldn't think twice of keeping some childhood promises. But he was alive, and she was dead. And he just couldn't bring himself to burn her.

So he decided that he would bury her instead. Choosing the hilltop as the suitable place, Arthur had ordered his knights to wait for him at the bottom of the hill. No one was to accompany him. He had to do this himself.

That's when Merlin, in his usual Merlin fashion walked next to him and asked him when they were leaving.

"This is something I need to do alone, Merlin" said Arthur.

"Of course Arthur. And I'm coming with you"

"I think you should stay here." said Arthur "It's a long journey to the top, and you could use your rest. I order you to stay here."

"If you really want to be alone, I'll stay. But if you're just being your usual dollopheaded self…" said Merlin, causing Arthur to roll his eyes.

"Do you ever do as you're told?" said Arthur, looking exasperatedly at the warlock.

"Sometimes" said Merlin, taking a step forward "Are you coming?"

So here they were, the king and the warlock, standing side by side at the hilltop. A body lay before them, covered with a long white sheet. The two man stood there, thinking about all that had been lost. Merlin was unsure of what to say, waiting for Arthur to speak first. But when it became clear that Arthur was lost in his thoughts, Merlin decided to say something.

"Do you want me to use my magic?" he asked quietly. Arthur turned to look at him, and it was clear that Merlin's question had confused him.

"For the grave" Merlin explained. "I could use my magic to dig the hole, and then…"

"No" said Arthur, causing Merlin to stop talking "thank you for offering, and I know that it would be faster that way… but I want to do this."

"Is it because I killed her?" asked Merlin, looking sadly at Arthur.

"No, Merlin" said Arthur, as he turned to look at his friend "I told you, I don't blame you. She had to be stopped, and I'm sorry that it had to be you. I know that she was your friend."

Merlin gave a small nod, and Arthur continued: "I want to do this without magic, because before she was my enemy, and before she found out about her magic, she was my friend, and she was my sister. And I'm not blaming the magic, because I know it's not her magic's fault…" he paused, looking at the covered body before him.

"Even though she was my enemy, she was first my sister. And I feel that I need to be the one who puts her to rest. Does that make any sense?"

"Do what you feel is right, Arthur" said Merlin "I'll be here if you need me."

Arthur took the shovel he had brought with him, and he started digging a hole. Half an hour passed, and Arthur was still digging, but Merlin never said a word.

After some time, Arthur climbed up from the hole. He carefully lifted the covered body from the ground, and he jumped down into the hole. After he lowered the body to the ground, he climbed back up again, and he started shoveling the earth back into the hole. Finally, after another half hour had passed, the hole had been filled back with earth. Arthur stood silent for a moment, before turning to Merlin.

"Should we mark her grave?" asked Arthur, sounding uncertain. "She was our enemy, after all, and she killed so many people. I'm not sure it's the right thing to do."

"May I?" asked Merlin, raising his right hand. Arthur just nodded his head, and Merlin's eyes changed colour. He said a few words, and a moment later, a tombstone with a neat writing on it appeared. Arthur came closer to the tombstone, as he attempted to read what was written on it.

"Here lies Morgana Pendragon" he read "who had a good heart, but who lost her way. We will always remember her kindness, compassion and spirit. For that is who she really was."

"I put a spell on the tombstone" said Merlin in a low voice "no one will be able to scrape off the text, or harm the tombstone in any way. It will stay here for days to come."

"Thank you" said Arthur. He looked at the tombstone for a few more moments, before turning away and leaving. Merlin gave one last look at the grave, and then he turned around as well, following Arthur.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-In Camelot-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The sound of rain drops awakened Gwen from her slumber. She had dreamed that Arthur and the others had returned, and that all was well. She was disappointed when she woke up, and her bed was empty. They hadn't returned, not yet. It was just another dream.

She stood up, and she sat on her bed, facing the window. The rain had stopped now, and the sun was slowly making its way through the grim, grey clouds. There was a slight chill in the air, but it wasn't too cold. Gwen was concerned. It had been several days since she had sent the knights to assist Arthur. She knew that the road back to Camelot was long, but they should have been home by now. 'Unless,' she thought 'something had gone wrong… Could someone have died? What If Gwaine hadn't been on time, and Merlin had died? What if Merlin survived the poison, only to be killed in battle later? But no, Merlin must be fine. But what if Arthur was the one who…'

"Stop it" she said loudly to herself. "You mustn't think that."

So she got up, determined to make the most out of her day. After she was dressed, she ate the breakfast that her servant had brought her. Seeing as she didn't have any duties for the day, she decided to keep herself busy by writing the plan for tomorrow's meeting. She knew that discussing the state of the kingdom's potato and tomato production was important, but it wasn't the most thrilling subject to discuss all the same. So she wrote the exact topics they needed to talk about, and she hoped that having a schedule would shorten the length of the meeting.

She was nearing the end, and she was currently musing about the last item on the list. Did they really need to go over that again? Surely, the tomato and potato sellers could come to an agreement about the best way to water their plants on themselves. They were the one who were growing the vegetables, after all, and not her, and it's not like she knew much about that anyway. Why would they need to involve her, again, was beyond…"

The door to her chambers suddenly flew open, causing Gwen to spill ink all over her dress. It was a dress she didn't really like, so she wasn't particularly saddened about it, but it was still incredibly rude to barge in unannounced like that…

"My lady!" said a young girl, the one who was responsible for the huge spot of ink that was now present of Gwen's dress. But the girl hadn't noticed this, as she continued speaking.

"My lady, they're here!" yelled the girl.

'Who's here?' thought Gwen. Her first thought was that the vegetable sellers had arrived a day early, and she was about to ask the girl why was she so excited about that…. But then it dawned on her.

"They are?" she asked, jumping out of her chair "When did they arrive?"

"The tower guard just spotted them down the road" said the girl "they should reach the city within the hour."

"Thank you for telling me" said Gwen, as she got her cloak from the hanger. "Go and inform the knights and the council members. I'll go and find Gaius."

The girl left, and a few moments later, Gwen was hurrying down the corridor leading to Gaius' chambers. She was so excited, and she wanted to be the one to tell Gaius.

"Gaius!" she yelled as she entered the old man's chambers. She found him sitting on the bench, and an old woman was standing in front of him, holding a glass vial in her hand. They both seemed startled at Gwen's sudden intrusion.

"Sorry" said Gwen "I thought you were alone…"

"It's no problem, your Majesty " said Gaius, although his left eyebrow still remained high on his forehead. "I was just giving Mildred her medicine."

"I was just leaving, your Majesty" said Mildred, moving slowly towards the door "I'm sorry if I've…"

"No no" said Gwen "It is I who should be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for Mildred. I hope you have a nice day."

"Thank you, your Majesty" said Mildred, before she disappeared through the door.

"What's the problem, Gwen?" said Gaius then "Has something happened?"

"The tower guard spotted them, Gaius" said Gwen, unable to hide her happiness "They should reach Camelot in the hour."

"Oh" said Gaius "that is something indeed."

"Of course it is!" said Gwen, coming to sit next to him "They're finally home."

"Yes" said Gaius, thoughtfully "Well then, I need to prepare some potions, and bandages, in case they have some wounded. And I need to tell the servant boy to fetch me some clean water, just in case…"

"I'll tell him" said Gwen, standing up "Do what you need to do, and then come meet me at the courtyard, alright? I want to be there when they finally arrive."

"Of course" said the old man, and the Queen almost bounced away from his chambers, unable to contain her excitement. Gaius was glad that she was excited. He hoped that her hopes were well founded.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-In the courtyard-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

They had been waiting in the courtyard for the last half hour. Several knights, as well as several of the servants were there, to help if needed. Gaius was there as well, cautiously optimistic, but prepared for the worst. Gwen was standing next to him, worried as well, but mostly hopeful that everything was going to be alright…

Finally, the guards blew the horn. The gate was opened, and the sound of hooves soon filled the courtyard.

And then she saw him: Arthur. He had a few cuts on his face, but he looked fine, and Gwen was so thankful… She scanned the other faces behind Arthur. Some of them were on horses, and some were not, but she soon recognized the faces of Leon, Gwaine, Percival, and many more. She didn't remember all of their names, but she was so glad that they were alive… but where was Merlin?

Finally, she saw him. He was on a horse, but he was near the end of the group. He looked tired, so tired… But then he noticed her stare, and he gave her one of his signature grins, which melted her heart. She let out a huge laugh, and forgetting that she was supposed to be proper, she ran towards the arriving knights. Gaius followed her, although not at nearly the same speed.

As soon as he saw his Gwen, Arthur leapt of the horse. She ran toward him, and he caught her in his arms, kissing her and lifting her of her feet. He then put her down and hugged her tight. He was worried for a moment, that he might be squeezing her too hard, but then she squeezed him back tighter than he ever thought her capable of. He had missed her so much.

"Oh Arthur" she said, after kissing him again "You're alright!"

"Yes I am" he said, smiling at her "And so is he."

He pointed towards Merlin, who was now slowly climbing down from his own horse. Gwen approached him. He hugged her, and she hugged him back. Her friend was alive! It was only now that she realized how much his loss would have affected her.

"I missed you Gwen" he said, as she still hugged him "You don't know how much of a prat your husband can be sometimes."

"I know him well, Merlin, don't worry" she said, pulling back from the hug. She looked at him carefully, before asking "Are you really alright?"

"I'm tired, but fine" he said, smiling at her "Really, I am."

"Well then." she said, as she stepped to the side "There's someone here who'd like a word with you."

Merlin looked behind her, and for a moment, he was speechless. Gaius was standing there, looking straight at him with a look in his eyes that Merlin almost couldn't bear. Gaius's eyes were filled with so much pain and unshed tears, and he looked so worn out, and so tired. Merlin knew that Gaius must have been worried about him, and he felt guilty for having caused the old man such trouble. He slowly walked toward him, and after a moment, he engulfed him in a warm hug.

"My boy" he heard Gaius whisper "Oh, my boy…"

"I'm alright Gaius" said Merlin "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm home now."

"Not worrying is not an option with you, I'm afraid." said Gaius, and Merlin chuckled at that. He could hear Gwen greeting Gwaine, and Leon, and all the others, and he could hear Arthur mumbling about something that Gwaine had done. People were starting to come in the courtyard, curious to learn what had happened, and Merlin knew that he would have to explain it all. He knew that there were so many things that needed doing. But for the moment none of it mattered. He was in Gaius's arms now, feeling the comfort only the old man could bring him. He was safe. He was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was the story. I hope it wasn't too difficult to follow, with all those time and locations jumps. If you liked my story please leave a review, I love reading those, even if it is about something you didn't like. Constructive criticism is always needed. :)


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